Je t'aime toujours
by Arounagein
Summary: "...Like when your paths keep crossing and they pop up when you least expect it- Like fate is throwing you together..." Amu never thought these simple words of a hopeful romantic's advice would mean so much. Then again, the thing you were looking for was always in the last place you looked. Because really, why keep looking once you had it? Amuto Rated for themes, subject to change
1. Out of the Blue

Alright there guys, here is my first Shugo Chara!-but certainly not last- fanfiction to be posted.

**Spoiler Alert! to those who haven't finished the anime. Do not continue reading unless you want it ruined for you.  
**

That being said:

This is based after the end of the anime and draws pieces of the animated series and manga both to patch up the anime sending Ikuto away at the end. I for one am a fan of Amuto (which I would presume you are too, for being here now) and I nearly died when he was all like, "Alright see you later Amu" and then poof!. We get some hints to Tadamu and the series ends. No offense to Tadamu fans, but my otp had just shattered before my eyes and I was just a little devastated.

Anyway, please enjoy, let me know how I did in a review, and keep being wonderful readers. I live for you guys.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Shugo Chara!, Shugo Chara! Encore, _nor any character in this aside from my own original characters such as Taro.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 1: Out of the Blue**

A year and half had passed since Easter's undoing, since Utau and Ikuto were freed. Amu smiled, breathing in the soft rain scented air. Since that time, there had been few X eggs to deal with, and even if there were, a new generation of Guardians were there to protect Seiyo Academy from harm. The royal protectors.

It brought a tinge of nostalgia to the blush coloured middle schooler. So much had changed since then. She had graduated into middle school, turning thirteen and joining Kukai along with Nagihiko, Rima and Tadase- Amu blushed. They had all grown up so much in such little time, it was hard to believe. The fall trimester of school had just started and in a little under a month, she would be turning fourteen, and entering year two of middle school at the start of the next school year. She sighed.

Then it would be off to high school...

She wondered what it would be like to be a high schooler- probably not much different from being a middle schooler, she figured. A small smile met her lips as her thoughts strayed back to the first high schooler she could remember calling a friend. He was all grown up now, she supposed. It was kind of depressing to be left behind, Amu had to admit. A sigh left her parted lips as she readjusted her hands in her pockets, it was hard not to wonder how Ikuto was doing now?

Had he found his dream yet?

Amu's rain boots splashed in the thin puddles along the sidewalk, as she turned the corner to the bookshop she had been volunteering at for the past few months. She didn't get paid of course, and the only work she was allowed to do was help stocking shelves and directing customers to the right sections as they inquired, but it was still a lot of fun. Plus, she was able to read all the manga she wanted. She smiled as she entered the shop, the little bell above the door ringing pleasantly.

The atmosphere was buttery and warm, soothing after the damp cold, and she slipped behind the counter to step into the back room. Digging through her bag, she pulled out her change of casual shoes. Amu toed off her rain boots and slipped her feet into the black flats. Humming softly to herself, she placed her belongings in her cubby and removed her school uniform's jacket to hang it on the coat rack, pulling her apron from rack and tying it securely around her waist.

With a happy smile tugging at her lips, she moved back out into the store place, ready to head out to the storage room to retrieve the newest arrivals for stock. So many wonderful books. It seemed like so many people had amazing stories to tell. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of lives they led to come up with such tales, and if someone like her would ever have something so interesting to write about. Then again, she hadn't exactly led a normal life.

Glancing back into the employee room, she smiled at her egg holster, where her would-be selves hid quietly. They knew it was difficult for her to focus on work when they were buzzing around, so for the two hours that she worked, they had agreed to spend the time napping out of sight. They could be cooperative sometimes... She giggled softly.

Making her way into the storage room, Amu found the book cart already loaded with the new arrivals. All she would have to do was set up the display stand and arrange them nicely on it. Easy enough, she smiled, giving the cart a tug out into the main store front.

A middle aged man greeted her as she stepped out of the storage room, smiling pleasantly.

"Oh, Hinamori-san I am glad you found the new stock. Thank you for being so helpful, it really is wonderful to have you around the shop," he complimented, leaning a little closer to whisper jokingly. "The boys love you too!"

Her face reddened as she followed his line of sight to the teenage boys that had gathered in the shounen section, before she looked back to her boss with a pout.

"M-miyamoto-sama!" Amu stuttered through her embarrassed whine.

For a moment the man just chuckled, giving her a pat on the back before uttering his amused apology and making his way back behind the counter.

She made her way to the display table, tugging the cart along behind her and began slowly pulling the books from the cart and setting them neatly in a line around the title stand, her eyes nervously flicking up to the boys down the aisle ever so often. _High school boys... _Her heart hammered in her chest, as she watched them. Surely Miyamoto-sama had been kidding, right? She wasn't even their age... No way they would even glance her way.

After a moment of studying their uniforms, she let her sights drop back to what she was working on, humming softly to herself. She wondered what she would look like in high school; would her chest get any bigger? She sighed, giving a quick glance down to her lacking feminine physique. It was hopeless, she pursed her lips.

The uniform change wouldn't really be that different from Seiyo Middle School's dress code. Black jacket with thin white trimming, black skirt- though she supposed the high school's uniform did include that dark undershirt with the blue trim, decorated with shiny little silver crosses. She smiled.

Ikuto had almost always been wearing his uniform when she saw him.

Once more her thoughts strayed to how the teen- well, man now- was doing. She hoped that he was still striving after his dream. They had made a bet to who would realize their dream first, and Amu could only hope he wouldn't go back on that bet. He'd said he would come back once he had found himself and his path.

She blushed hotly, remembering their parting- his very public kiss to her cheek.

Absently, Amu rose a hand to feel at the soft skin just beside her mouth where his lips had met her, the spot tingling like it had back then. _Perverted cat..._

She shook her head of pink tresses, turning her thoughts back to the books in her hand, the arrangement she was making, the teenage boys down the aisle... She sighed. Maybe she was the pervert after all. She could almost hear Ikuto prodding her with teases at her admission, and her cheeks puffed a bit in irritation. He was so annoying!

Then again, she had kind of missed that about him.

Without him at home to bother her, she only had Ran, Miki, Suu, Dia, her mother and father, Ami and... She rolled her honey colored eyes. Alright, maybe she had enough people to pester her on a daily basis. Still...

It had been nice having him as a friend, having someone to talk to about her day when she was safe to drop her outer character. She gasped softly. Amu had never really given it much thought before, but...

Ikuto had been the first person to ever see her inner character. She blushed.

He really was like a big cat. Flitting into her life and personal space, taking up her schedule and making a space for himself in her heart. A sad smile tugged at her lips.

She really hoped he was doing alright.

He hadn't called but once since he had left, and that had nearly been over a year ago. She had to wonder if he had forgotten her after all. It was probably better that he found a girl his own age anyway... She sighed before choking and blushing at her own thought.

It wasn't as if she had taken him seriously when he said he'd make her fall in love with him! And she certainly hadn't thought about dating him...

Her defensive shoulders drooped, melancholy expression replacing the frantic blush from before. The truth was, she had. She had believed him, if only a little bit, and she couldn't have helped thinking about what it would be like if he actually managed to get her to fall for him. Her blush returned. Ikuto was really... Amu sighed, not wanting to think about him anymore.

Looking back to her stack of books, Amu silenced her thoughts, resuming her humming. She fished the last of the stack off the cart, being careful to sit them upright just under the title sign in a neat little line of three. There.

All set.

She smiled, taking a step back from the stand to admire her work. Running her hand across her forehead (as if it had taken enough effort to work up a sweat) Amu turned to the cart and pushed it back down the aisle she had come from, returning it to the storage room happily. Now, with that out of the way, the only thing she had to do was to tend to customers and make sure they found what they were looking for.

Stepping through the aisles she smiled at various shoppers, asking if they needed any help looking for something. They waved her off with a 'thank you, but I am fine' or 'no thank you', and eventually all that was left for customers to inquire were the teenage boys in the manga section. She stepped around a display of current manga, approaching them timidly, but trying to remember to smile.

"Excuse me, can I help any of you find something?"

They turned to look at her from the manga they had been laughing and chatting over, eyes studying her before going wide. One of the boys, who had red hair in a similar style to Kairi's she noticed, spoke up first and pointed to her name tag.

"Hey, you're Hinamori Amu, the famously 'cool and spicy' girl from Seiyo Elementary," he spoke a bit astonished.

Immediately her chipper disposition melted away, and her lack of people skills rendered her with little words in her embarrassment. _So even the high schoolers knew who she was? _Her cheeks puffed a bit, and her hands found her hips.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Internally- _Why can't I greet people normally!?_ "I'm not in elementary school anymore though, so..."-_ My outer character is going to ruin everything!_

The boys exchanged looks of amazement, before looking back to her. The same boy as before spoke up once more, "Wow! You really are cool and spicy!"

She sighed. _People would never change..._

"So, can I uh... help you find anything?" She muttered, playing with the ties of her apron behind her back nervously.

Eventually, one of the boys piped up, stepping closer to her to mutter the name of a manga he was interested in so his friends would not hear him. She felt the urge to give him a confused expression, but smiled instead and led him around the corner to the shoujo section, his friends following in tow in curiosity.

She held out a finger running it along the spines of various red, pink, and white covered books- all completely decked out in fancy lettering, roses of different kinds and very attractive men. She blushed. Amu couldn't imagine a boy wanting to read any of these, but then again, what did she know?

The girl thrummed a concentrative hum in her throat as she read over the alphabetically organized titles until she found the one the boy was looking for. Pulling down the first volume, she presented it to him with both hands, smiled in a rehearsed manner.

"Here you are, sir."

The boy accepted it gratefully, attempting to hide he in front of him from the prying eyes of his two friends behind him. The red headed boy stepped over to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder as he leaned to read the title of the book in his friend's hand, a loud laugh broke from him and he turned to eye his friend incredulously.

"Oh man, don't tell me you read this girly stuff!" The boy's other friend joined the redhead in snickering at their friend's choice of manga.

Amu looked on in silent interest and slight remorse as the boy reddened, holding the treacherous manga in his hands. He shook his shoulders free of their hold and turned to face them.

"Sh-shut up, will you!" he defended. "For your information, this is a romance novel and the girl in it just so happens to be really cute!"

"Whatever you say, Taro!"

His friends continued to snicker and tease him, chuckling amongst themselves.

"Hey, he's your friend isn't he?" Amu retorted without thinking, her poor people skills making her come off as cool once more. "It's completely uncool to make fun of your own friends, you know..."- _What am I saying? Why am I defending him? _Her inner character was bright red with her blush.

The boy blushed, turning to her as his friends let their laughter slowly die down. Taro spoke up, thanking her.

"You didn't have to defend me, but... Thank you, Hinamori-san."

She gave a passive look, her outer character still leading her disposition.

"There's nothing wrong with liking romance..." she muttered, hand on her hip.

Taro smiled broadly, "So, even someone cool and spicy like you likes romance too? That's so great!" he beamed. "Someday, I want to be a manga artist and make stories like these..."

His dark green eyes slid to look lovingly upon the shelves of romantic novels. "It's my greatest dream..." he glance back at his friends with a hopeless smile and a chuckle, "Even though these knuckleheads will never understand it."

So, he had a dream? Amu smiled inwardly. She bet that his heart egg had yet to be born, or maybe he was even a character bearer too and had left his hidden like she had, and no doubt it was the artistic type. Miki would probably get along with that kind of character well. Maybe Ikuto wasn't the only teenage boy that had held onto his heart's egg...

Then again, she thought, Nikaidou had one furthered that and even as an adult he could still see and talk to guardian characters. She hadn't seen him in a while, but Utau had said that he and her manager Yukari were doing well. She blushed.

She wondered if his egg would be reborn soon...

"I bet you will be a great manga writer someday, Taro-san" Amu smiled at him.

He grinned, holding the manga to his chest, "Thank you, Hinamori-san."

"So," he began, "Do a lot of people know you like romantic stuff? You are always described as being aloof and cool." Taro explained.

Amu's face lit up like Rudolph's nose. "I-i...Eh heh, I don't really bring it up much." Her brain flurried in a frenzy and left her poor inner character to melt down. She sighed. There she went again...

"Oh, I see..." he smiled. "Not many people know about how much I like it, either. Only my girlfriend really," Taro chuckled, "but I think she thinks it makes me a little uncool. Do you have a boyfriend, Hinamori-san?"

Asking straight out? Amu's heart raced.

Was he trying to kill her here?

She really wasn't sure what to answer with. Yes, no, kinda, I have a few on hold? She internally scratched at her brain. First had been Kairi the chairman, then Tadase- who continues to say that he loves her though their awkwardness has made it nearly impossible to get any further than that. And then there was Ikuto, who said that he loved her and he would return to make her fall in love with him. What were the odds of that actually happening?

Laying it all out like that, Amu had to admit she was in a bit of a romantic trainwreck. She stammered.

"I...um, it's kind of complicated."-Internally, _I sound so pathetic!_ She once again played nervously with the ties of her apron.

"I see," he scratched his chin. "So, is that there is someone you like, or someone that likes you?"

"I..." Amu went silent, unsure of what she could even respond with. It all sounded so pitiful when she thought about it. Finally she murmured quiet enough that only Taro would hear her.

"How... do you know when someone is really meant for you? Like meant to... love you?" Her inward blush bloomed outward now and her cheeks burned hotly.

Taro watched her expression, his interest in all things love kicking in compelling him to offer his advice. He crossed his arms over his chest, one hand still holding to the manga as the other lifted to tap against his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"I suppose," he began,"You know when that person is a constant thought in your mind, you know. Like when your paths keep crossing and they pop up when you least expect it- Like fate is throwing you together... At least, that was how I knew when I met Mikoto, my girlfriend." Taro blushed brightly.

He continued, "I guess the best way to describe it is, it's someone who is always there when you need them- even if you don't realize you needed them in the first place," he chuckled, "Love is kinda like magic. You just have to believe in it, and trust your heart."

Amu nodded in thanks to Taro, as he and his friends turned to leave, and he wished her the best of luck with her lucky guy- as he had put it. After they had left, Amu tried her best to focus and diligently finish her shift, moving through the store like her mind was lost somewhere else entirely. Which, wasn't too far from the truth to be honest.

_Trust my heart...?_

Lost in thought, the girl rose a hand to her chest, gripping the Humpty lock within her shirt and holding to it tightly. How was she suppose to trust her heart to tell her who was meant for her? She barely understood the messages her heart usually gave her as it was. And besides, it wasn't like her dream guy was just going to pop up out of nowhere.

Amu shuffled a few books around on a shelf, absently making sure they were in the right order when her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"Ne, can you tell me where the romance novels are?" the voice spoke close to her ear.

Amu flipped around, nearly dropping the book in her hand as she did. If felt like the air had been robbed out of her lungs.

"Ikuto!?"

* * *

Oh look, a cliffy right off the bat hm?

Don't worry guys, you won't have to wait long to see the next part. Thank you so much for reading, and again, please let me know what you thought?

I am hoping to capture the feeling of reading the manga or watching the anime with my style here, it's something I have never tried before.


	2. There

And, we're back!

I do not own Shugo Chara!

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 2: There**_  
_

_~An hour prior~_

How long it had been since he had seen this town... Felt like forever, to be honest.

Ikuto yawned, lifting a hand from his coat pocket to cover his mouth modestly. The rain was a comforting smell, he breathed. Though, he could do without the wetness it brought with it. It sent shivers through him as the pattering drops seeped through his light jacket.

"Ne, Ikuto~nya! Feel's good to be home, right?" Yoru floated up to Ikuto's shoulder, perching on the teen to purr against his neck happily.

He smiled at the little cat character faintly, returning his hand to his pocket.

"Yoru... Stray cats don't have homes." Ikuto spoke softly enough that only Yoru would hear him.

Yoru chuckled nodding, "Right, nya. It's still nice to see this place again..." the little cat hovered up into the air above Ikuto, pumping his small paw into the air happily. "This means I get to see my old troops, nya!"

Ikuto smirked at his little character's antics, his eyes still set on the sidewalk of people he was walking through. "Yoru, remember we aren't going to be here too long... So don't get into trouble."

"Got it, nya!" Yoru snickered, knowing full well that Ikuto knew he would do opposite of what he had been instructed to do.

Ikuto had to admit, it was nice to be back here again. The familiar streets, alleys, rooftops- it really took him back. He sighed. A lot had changed for him in a few short years.

He had met Amu, helped her fight against Easter, only for her to selflessly turn around and save him from it. Utau had cut herself free and now got to sing her heart's songs to her content, Like she should have always been able to. Tadase and he had patched things up. Ikuto smiled. He had even gained leads to where his father was and it was now only a matter of time till he found the truth. In reality, had he not met Amu, he doubted he would have ever come this far on his own.

He would have still been Easter's puppet.

She, without really realizing it, had saved his life.

Ikuto couldn't help but wonder how she had been doing- if the Kiddy King had taken his spot in her heart completely or if there was some new guy now. It was hard to believe that she was already in middle school, he smirked inwardly. He tried to picture what she might look like now. Probably a little more mature, not by much, but it would likely still surprise him if he saw her now.

_Amu..._

He still intended to keep his promise, no matter how much time passed. He would make her fall in love with him in the end. Ikuto smiled softly, hiding the expression from the crowds he passed through.

He wondered if he'd have time to see her this time he was home...

Utau was having a celebratory vacation to Okinawa- that doubled as her birthday party- in a week for reaching number one on Japan's hit record charts , and he had flown home to surprise her as a gift- not his idea, by the way. He sighed. He wouldn't have even known about it had it not been for her manager Sanjo calling him ten times a day and demanding him. Demands soon turned into begging and well... He didn't like how much of a pain that woman was when she got emotional. He huffed.

_He could have just called Utau to wish her a happy birthday..._

He wished he could have called Amu. It had been so long since he had heard her voice... Ikuto had to wonder if she would even remember what his sounded like.

His phone had been lost at sea- dropped accidentally out of his pocket while taking a ferry ride- and the salt water had completely fried it. Or, at least, he assumed it had. Seeing as he never saw it after it went down. Ikuto frowned at the memory.

He hated water.

Material stuff was just stuff, and to be honest he really didn't care about cell phones or electronics for that matter, but that cell phone had been his only way of contacting Amu. When he finally got a new one, the only number he had ingrained for certain in his mind was Utau's, and even then he had to pray that he had the right number. Calling her had gotten him a scolding for not talking to her more and a demand to know the state of his physical and mental health, as well as a charted map of where he'd gone. He had brushed her comments off, and asked for Amu's number, but Utau had silenced him with a whine of jealousy and explanation that Amu had gotten a new phone and she didn't have the number yet.

Perhaps he was the black cat of misfortune, after all... Because it had seemed to be one unfortunate event after another in this department. He sighed.

Maybe he could make time to go see her before he had to leave on vacation with Utau.

His ears perked as the sound of a woman shouting caught his attention, and he calmly turned to see what the commotion was about.

A man ran down the street side toward Ikuto with something clutched in his hands. The woman called after him, her voice desperate.

"Someone help! That man just took my purse!" She wailed.

Ikuto turned back as if he planned to continue walking as he had been, expression bored and a yawn stretching his jaw. He rose a hand to secure the straps of both his duffle bag and violin case so they would not slip, keeping his back to the perp who was steadily approaching.

Just as the man moved to push past Ikuto, running at full speed, Ikuto spun on his left foot, planting his right knee square into the man's stomach. Causing the purse to fly from his hands, and into Ikuto's awaiting grasp. The assailant stumbled, coughing and choking, eventually collapsing to the ground in a heap. A small smirk met Ikuto's lips in satisfaction.

He'd admit it, that felt pretty good.

"Ah, looks like my foot slipped..." he muttered to the man in amusement.

The woman came rushing to Ikuto's side, panting from running after the thief.

"Thank you so much, young man! You are a hero!" she praised.

"Ne, it was nothing." Ikuto turned his bored expression to her, holding out her purse for her to take.

She accepted it thankfully, bowing a few times in gratitude. Digging through her purse she pulled out a small amount of money, just about eighteen-hundred yen, flitting through it and holding it out to Ikuto.

"Here, I know it isn't much. Please forgive me, I don't have any other cash on me..." She smiled apologetically.

He turned his head away from her, a small smile meeting his lips.

"Thanks, but you can keep it."

Flying down to land on Ikuto's shoulder, Yoru piped up to add his two cents.

"Ne, Ikuto, you should take it, nya! It looks like enough to buy us some Taiyaki!" the little creature's eyes sparkled and his mouth watered.

Ikuto flicked his sights over to Yoru, silently cursing him for bringing up the thought of food as his stomach gave a low growling. His sapphire eyes trailed back to the money still outstretch for him to take. He sighed.

"I really insist, please, I have to repay you somehow." The woman assured. "Take it, dear."

Ikuto muttered a thanks to the woman, receiving his reward and turning to disappear into the crowd once more. The rain had begun to let up, he inwardly smiled. At least his clothing would not become any more wet than it already was. Though, he noted much to his irritancy, the puddles were left behind to splash up into his less-than-waterproof shoes- as in, they were little help in the rain at all. Now he was cold, and soaked... _But at least he was a 'hero'._ He smirked to himself.

How nice it would be to have Amu's hot water bottle body heat to keep him warm. Ikuto smiled. Though as it was, he would likely come across as far too old to share that close of space with her. Even though the age gap remained as it was, his passing of eighteen- adulthood, as many would consider it- stretched that gap even further in appearance.

_Hurry up and grow up... Amu._

Ikuto heard the sound of a stomach growling, and for a moment he swore it was his own again, before Yoru pathetically hovered to rest limp against Ikuto's shoulder.

"Taiyaki~nya..." He whined, mouth watering as it had been before.

"Alright, alright," Ikuto spoke softly, "When we get to the shopping district, we'll get some Taiyaki..."

As if being resurrected by Ikuto's word alone, Yoru cheered happily, his little body shooting up into the air to perform a few hyperactive backflips. Ikuto chuckled, shaking his head gently.

Walking at a leisurely pace, the pair slowly made their way downtown, delving deeper into the crowds of people that never seemed to be slowing down. The sun had begun to set a short while ago and now the sun had painted the sky and remaining rain clouds the most beautiful pink he had ever seen- aside from his strawberry, Amu, that was. Ikuto smirked. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

For a moment, in the slightest change of body temperature, a blush faintly touched his pale cheeks. It was a change so subtle in him that only Yoru would likely notice the way his ragged heartbeat spiked and skipped a beat as he thought of her. Luckily for Ikuto, Yoru was not looking. Or if he had been, he didn't seem to have any plans of calling Ikuto out on it.

Walking past the various storefronts, Ikuto lazily window shopped- not that he had any plans of buying anything other than Taiyaki, but it was interesting to see what people wasted money on these days.

Yoru buzzed around Ikuto's head, chanting 'Taiyaki' over and over in a happily little mantra, until Ikuto stopped dead in his tracks in front of a store window, causing the little cat to collide with the back of the teen's head with a thump. Ikuto didn't even seem to notice the smack to the back of his head, nor the way Yoru floated pathetically down to the ground like a rattled leaf. His eyes were focused on reading something within the shop, starlit gaze studying the cover of a book.

Half-hazardly, Yoru strained to float back up beside his owner, hovering to float just in front of Ikuto's face.

"Ne, Ikuto! What's wrong with you, nya!?" Yoru fumed, but was soon pushed out of Ikuto's line of sight by the back of the teen's hand.

"What the heck, nya? Ne, Ikuto, what's so important about that book anyway? Isn't it just some girly manga, nya?" Yoru pedaled over to look through the glass.

Ikuto found a faint smile touch his lips. It had certainly been a while, but surprisingly he remembered the name of that particular "girly" manga... It was one that he had read at Amu's house while he had lived with her. She had really liked that series, he remembered, she had had all the volumes up until present. He couldn't believe how many volumes he had missed in his absence, it only spoke to how long he had really been gone.

_They're already on volume 27...?_

Sapphire eyes flickered to the release date of that issue in the window. According to the sign, it had just been released yesterday, he smiled. Perhaps he would by it for Amu and give her a small token of compensation for how long he hadn't spoken to her. The rest of his debt he could make up in... _other ways_. He smirked.

Suddenly stepping toward the door of the bookshop, Ikuto caught Yoru's attention, and the little cat buzzed up in front of the teen once more.

"Yo Ikuto, nya, where are you going?"

"To buy something for Amu."

"With our Taiyaki money?!" Yoru sounded stricken, golden eyes shooting wide.

Ikuto gave no answer as he stepped past Yoru and into the threshold of the store, the little bell above the door jingling pleasantly.

A middle aged man behind the counter smiled at him, bowing slightly in welcoming and gesturing to the aisles within the store.

"Welcome to Miyamoto's Books, please feel free to browse around. If you need any help finding something, our volunteer floor assistant is on aisle four I believe. Feel free to ask her for help, and she will get you what you need."

Ikuto nodded to the old man, wandering through the store until he reached aisle four, and freezing in his steps as he rounded the corner.

_Amu...!_

She was humming absently to herself, rearranging the books on the shelf to her liking. He could hardly believe his eyes. To see her here! His starlit eyes roamed over her, taking in her appearance. She looked healthy, maybe a little taller than she had been before but not by much. Her rosette hair was tied in a partial ponytail, leaving the lower layers down as she had so many times before. She still wore her X shaped hair clips, he smiled, releasing a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

She was still herself.

Still his Amu.

With jolt of realization, he noted the apron tied around her small frame. She worked here?

"_...our volunteer floor assistant..."_

Ah, now it made sense. She had taken a volunteer position, he smiled. Perhaps she was finally working toward talking to more people and showing her inner character?

Moving up behind her with a stealth that only a cat would have, he leaned down close to her sensitive little ear and whispered.

"_Ne, can you tell me where the romance novels are?"_

_~~Present~~_

Amu's eyes were as wide as saucers, their golden depths glittering in shock and confusion.

"Ikuto...?" she repeated, this time a little softer than the last. "What are you doing here? How did you get back here?"

"Nice to see you too, Amu." he smirked.

"I-i... It's nice to see you again." she murmured, blushing hotly. "...Why did you come back, Ikuto?"

"To see you."

Her cheeks puffed slightly, blushing to her hairline.

"Y-you did not! Knock it off, you pervert!"

"Ah, looks like she won't believe me..." he muttered. "Amu, you sure you should be saying that word so loudly? _Perverted _kid." Ikuto smirked.

Looking around at the few customers that had overheard their little conversation, Amu smiled sheepishly in apology and waved to excuse herself. She turned to Ikuto once more, ready to tear into him with scolding, until she caught sights with his intense sapphire eyes and her lips sealed. Why was he looking at her like that?

And when had he gotten so close?

She blushed hotter, unable to look away from his eyes. His eyelashes were as long as always, so dark and beautiful. For a boy even, he was the prettiest person she had ever met. His shampoo smelt good too... She inwardly scolded herself, calling up the memory of being called a smell pervert too many times.

"Amu..." he spoke softly, leaning closer.

"H-huh...?" she gulped nervously.

"We've done it once before... Do you think it will be easier to put _it_ in this time?" Ikuto drew even closer, and Amu wasn't sure she was even going to have enough room in her personal space for herself if he got any closer.

She blushed completely red, her thoughts hitting a wall of assumptions that innuendo could lead to. Her mind sputtered, heart skipping a beat.

_Put what in where...?_

"I...uh-"

That was when she heard the familiar clink of metal on metal, of the Humpty Lock and Dumpty Key.

Before the lock and key could go to work, Ikuto pulled away, standing up straight with a faint smirk on his lips and his deep eyes playful.

"You really are still perverted, Amu."

Amu was about to retort with something along the lines of, '_You're the perverted one saying something dangerous like that!'I, _but her thoughts were cut short as a little boy bolted down the aisle past them, and bumped into the shelf Amu was standing by. The shelf teetered a little bit, rocking in its foundation, before Ikuto grabbed onto its frame and stilled its movements.

However it was not enough to stop a book from toppling off of the top shelf to come hurtling down in Amu's direction. Amu readied to shriek in pain, but the smack to her head never came. When her golden eyes fluttered open, she saw Ikuto's hand above her, having caught the book with the reflexes of a cat even without chara nari.

"_...it's someone who is always there when you need them- even if you don't realize you needed them in the first place..."_

Taro-san's words came back to her as she stared up at Ikuto, her mouth opening but no sound coming out. Her blush returned and she could feel the heat burning all the way down into her heart, making it skip a beat pleasurably.

"Ne, you okay?" Ikuto asked, true concern in his eyes.

She nodded silently, lost in shock and his sapphire gaze.

"You know, I don't know how you manage to survive without me here..." he muttered, setting the book aside on the shelf and returning his hands to his pockets casually.

"You're the biggest klutz I have ever met." He finished with a bored yawn.

Her dreamy disposition shattered, cheeks puffing in embarrassment. _Why, that stupid-!_

"I manage myself just fine!"

"I can see that." Ikuto glanced at the book that had fallen.

"Th-that wasn't my fault-!"

"Ah, but the customer is never wrong." he smiled.

Before she could truly explode, the teen stepped over to her, wrapping her in his long arms and pulling her tightly to his chest. He buried his nose to the top of her head, intaking the sweet scent of chocolate and strawberries. She smelt so good, felt so wonderful pressed against him like that, and for a moment he just held her shocked form in his arms before speaking.

"I missed you, Amu."

Amu blushed hotly, not sure how to physically respond. Finally after what seemed like forever, her voice decided to work again and she sputtered embarrassedly.

"I-i... I missed you too, Ikuto."

After a moment caught between too long and not long enough, he pulled away- not _too_ far away though- and stood just in front of her. After all this time, she felt like she had forgotten what it felt like to be near Ikuto. It was exciting; like electricity in her veins. It seemed to take forever for her mind to process through the information it was receiving. Ikuto was back.

_Ikuto had come home to her..._

Her blush made his faint smile grow ever brighter, his starlit eyes glimmering brighter than the real stars might. Ikuto waited patiently, sensing that she was trying to process before she spoke any more. She was so cute.

Finally, she murmured, "I... I um, get off in ten minutes. If you'll wait, you could walk home with me. If you aren't busy, Ikuto..." her shy inner character had finally gotten out to breathe.

"If you have time tonight, you could have dinner with my family and I." she finished.

Ikuto thought about the offer for a moment, as if he would ever say no. Utau still didn't know he was in town, and he had a few days before he would need to worry about surprising her and getting ready for the trip... He smirked. Like he'd say no to Amu.

"I'd like that... Perverted kid."

* * *

Liked it? Hated it?

Please let me know! Thank you all.


	3. New and Old

Next chapter. I am on a roll people, let's see how many I can churn out over the weekend, ne?

I do not own Shugo Chara!

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 3: New and Old  
**

The walk to her house had been quiet, neither speaking much- that is, only after Amu hd chewed him out for calling her a pervert again. The sun had disappeared from the sky now, and it was left with the faint glow making it glimmer a silken, rich blue littered with stars. It reminded Amu of Ikuto's eyes, when she thought about it.

It had been so long since she had seen him, yet he wasn't really all that different at all. He was maybe a little taller, or maybe not, she couldn't really tell seeings as he was always tall to her. His soft cat-fur-like hair was the same, perhaps a little longer, and still mesmerized her by how well kept it looked for someone as lazy as Ikuto. She chuckled internally, remembering how he use to take up her bed space like a lazy house cat.

His clothing was much his usual style and Amu could tell that once he found a style he liked, he stuck with it. The dark t-shirt he wore had a scene of New York across it, and she wondered in his travels if he had gone there. As usual, he wore a tight fitting pair of jeans, only accentuating how thin he really was. Thin, but muscular. Amu blushed.

Even with as much time had passed, Ikuto was still Ikuto. She smiled to herself.

They approached her house, and Amu stopped at the front walkway, pausing to look over to Ikuto who had also stopped and now stared at her a tad confused.

"Why did you stop?"

Amu crossed her arms over her small chest- she internally seethed. _She was developing, not small!_ She blushed and shook the thought from her head.

"Before we go in there, I need to warn you..."

He raised a dark brow, "About what?"

"My father."

That's right, Ikuto remembered. He hadn't met her father before, only her mother- who back then had been fine with him visiting after everything had come out. He had to wonder what her father thought of him, or if he even knew the whole story... He shuddered. Amu had once said that her father was a complete overprotective father, true doting daddy and everything. If he knew what Ikuto and Amu had been caught with... The teen shivered again.

"Papa doesn't really like boys... Actually, he pretty much hates them. He still interrogates Tadase-kun whenever he comes over," she admitted, not catching the way Ikuto flinched at the loving use of _-kun_.

"Mama told him pretty much everything... Except that you had slept in my bed with me and showered with me in the washroom..." Amu blushed hotly, correcting herself quickly, "I mean, you were showering, a-and I was just in the room... not showering."

He smirked. _If only..._

"Anyway," she mumbled in continuance, "You should prepare yourself, Ikuto."

His smirk grew.

"Alright."

Amu watched him to make sure he wasn't going to run for the hills when she moved toward the door- the house where her terrifyingly attached father lived. She sweatdropped. Her family was hopeless.

Pulling her keychain from her pocket, she sorted through the few keys to find the house key, the little charms hanging from it jingling together. She unlocked the door, peeking in to make sure her father wasn't right there, and motioned for Ikuto to follow her as she stepped into the genkan and toed off her shoes.

Ikuto followed suit, and quietly entered the house, toed off his own shoes and lined them against the wall. He removed his jacket and hung it on the rack next to the one Amu had just disrobed of, urging Yoru into his egg and placing the egg in the pocket of his hung coat. He looked over at Amu who was watching him in concern, as if he could be shot at any moment. Which he probably could, Amu tremored.

_Here goes nothing_! She thought optimistically.

"Mama, Papa, I'm home!" she called hesitantly. "And, I brought a surprise with me!"

Amu sheepishly looked over to Ikuto.

They listened to her mother call back to her, stopping to correct Ami while she was at it.

"Alright, honey! I am glad you are home safe-!"

"Hooray! A supwise!" Ami squealed, and her pattering footsteps could be heard making their way to the foyer.

"Ami-chan, its 'surprise' not 'supwise'. And no running in the hall!" her footsteps too carried down toward the front door.

Midori rounded the corner after Ami, smiling at her daughter and gasping in shock as she caught sight of Ikuto beside Amu in the foyer, hands in his pockets and a plain expression.

"Oh, Ikuto-kun, you're back! How have you been?" she smiled pleasantly.

"I've been well, thank you, Mrs. Hinamori. You are looking well yourself." Ikuto smiled cunningly, his intense eyes boring into her.

"Oh my," she pressed a hand to her cheek. "You have always been so polite, Ikuto-kun."

Amu wanted to roll her eyes, and she glanced over at Ikuto with an irritated look. Ikuto met her eyes easily, feigning innocence well. She grumbled.

"Papa! Amu nee-chan bwought a boy home as a supwise!" Ami shrieked happily, throwing her arms up in the air for emphasis. Amu shot her a glare and frantically turned her attention to the sound of her father's thundering sprint from the kitchen.

_Darn you, Ami!_

He rounded the corner in a blaze and Amu practically threw herself in front of Ikuto as a shield as her father nearly pounced on him. The doting daddy easily slid her to the side in his panic like a shoji door, and Amu spun in place a few times, from the momentum, attempting to regain her sense of balance.

"Dear..." her mother gave a sheepish smile, her hand out as if she wanted to pull her husband back. But truly, there was little she could to at this point. He's gone off again. She sighed.

"Amu-chan..." her father's eyes slid sidelong to glance at her, only to flicker back to Ikuto's eyes. Which were only a few inches away as Tsumugu had gotten right up in his face.

"Why did daddy's little angel bring home a big bad boy...?" his voice tremored, though he seemed to be putting all his effort into intimidating Ikuto with his stare.

Amu glanced to the boy in question, bidding him apology silently.

Ikuto held his ground though, eyes intense as ever and unwavering, a small smirk on his lips. He seemed to be daring her father to try something, to make him leave, and soon enough Tsumugu's trembling became too much for the man to hold his ground any longer. The photographer scampered back to hide behind his wife, comic amounts of tears rolling down his distressed face.

"Mama!" he whined, voice squeaking. "He's the 'bad boy type'!"

Amu's mother patted her husband's back gently, her brow twitching despite her sunny disposition.

"I'm sorry, Ikuto-kun. Don't mind him, he's still getting use to the idea of Amu being, _that age_." Midori assured, Amu's blush of mortification only growing.

"Mama! He's bad for my little Amu-chan!" Tsumugu wailed, dropping to his knees and clinging hopelessly to his wife's waist.

"Papa~" Midori's brow twitch returned.

"Mama... Is it alright if Ikuto stays for dinner?" Amu finally voiced Ikuto's reason for being here, her golden eyes begging her mother to say yes.

"Of course!" her mother chirped. "It will be done in about thirty minutes or so. Until then, why don't you take Ikuto-kun upstairs and I'll bring you some tea in a bit?"

Amu nodded gratefully, grabbing hold of Ikuto's hand and tugging him toward the stairs before she had to hear any more of her father's crying. How did mama put up with him?

"Hey-" Ikuto complained as he was yanked along, but Amu didn't stop her furious march until they had reached the safety of her room and she pulled him inside, shutting the door behind them.

Ikuto stopped to look around her room, letting the familiarity settle in and warm him from the inside out. It was like being home, he had to admit. He walked around a bit, looked over the sheets of homework on her desk, running his long fingers along the pages before turning to her bed and letting a hand reach down to press at the plush mattress. With the content of a lazy house cat, Ikuto plopped down on her bed, letting the stress ease from his muscles.

Amu set her school bag down, turning to deposit her still sleeping eggs to their basket, and then turned back to watch the boy on her bed.

"So..." he mumbled, falling back to stare at the ceiling. "You're in middle school now..." It was less of a question and more like a softly spoken statement.

"Yeah... I am." she muttered in response, standing awkwardly in the middle of her room.

"You're growing up."

She smiled faintly, staring down at her hands. What was he saying?

"_...and when you grow up and become an adult, I promise I will come back and find you..."_

His words echoed in her mind, her blush growing hotter. Did he think she was an adult now, was that why he was back?

"I-ikuto..."

"Hm?"

"Uh... Nevermind."

She just couldn't say it. She would melt down from embarrassment if he said that was what he was here for. _To make her his..._

She couldn't take it.

He shifted a bit on the bed, rolling to lay sidelong, and propping his head up on his hand so he could look over to her.

"What is it, Amu?"

Amu smiled, shaking her head. "It's nothing."

He pause for a moment, shrugging his shoulders.

"Ah, whatever you say, Amu~" he looked to the side as if dismissing her refusal to talk, before his mirthful eyes returned to her own golden gaze and he smiled.

Amu fidgeted, the pressed material of her school uniform suddenly uncomfortably warm. Was she blushing that badly?

"Hey, Ikuto..." she mumbled, "Would you mind if I change into normal clothes?"

He smirked.

"Why would I mind?"

Amu's reddened cheeks puffed. "Because I thought you said you _weren't_ the pervert!"

"Ah, but you're the one whose thoughts went there all of a sudden." he challenged. And won.

She huffed, turning around in embarrassment.

"Just keep your eyes closed would you?" the girl demanded.

"Alright." he spoke softly.

After a moment, she hesitantly turned to see that his sapphire eyes had slipped closed, his long lashes casting soft bruise like shadows under his eyes. She wavered for a moment, her fingers not quite unbuttoning her shirt yet.

"Promise not to look...?" she murmured.

"Amu, you know I told you before. I won't do anything you actually don't want."

His voice was soft, honest, and her heart skipped a beat. That's right, sometimes, Ikuto was really a good person.

Her fingers fumbled as she undid the buttons on her shirt, letting it slip from her shoulders soundlessly. She turned her head to glance over her shoulder, making sure he didn't peek at her.

_His eyes were really closed..._

_Forget 'sometimes', Ikuto really was a good person._

Amu finished undressing, and quickly pulled on a new set of clothing, before she turned around and cleared her throat nervously.

"You can open your eyes now, Ikuto."

His starlight eyes fluttered open prettily, focusing as light came back into his vision. Slowly, his sights cleared of colorful splotches, and he let his gaze travel up her small frame to note her new outfit.

She had long thigh-high black socks with little bows on each side of the upper hem, a simple pair of black short-shorts and a too-big black and skull decorated sweater that looked perfect for relaxing. He smiled. She was as beautiful as ever. And that sweater almost made her look even smaller than she already was.

She was so cute.

Amu watched his appraising eyes, nervously shuffling under the intensity of his night dark depths.

"Wh-what?"

"Nothing."

She pursed her lips, frowning a bit.

"Ikuto, that's not fair! What are you staring at?"

"You." he answered simply.

Amu blushed hotter, her heart skipping a beat. Why did he have to do that? Did she have a sign above her head that read "Please tease me mercilessly"?

Amu sighed.

Ikuto was the strangest boy she had ever met.

"Why..." she muttered without thinking, making Ikuto raise a thin dark brow. "Why do you tease me so much...?"

He sat in thought for a moment, and she took the time to realize she had spoken her thoughts aloud, blushing even harder than before.

"Because."

"Because, what...?" Now she was curious.

"I love seeing you blush."

Her heart nearly exploded.

_Love?! _He _loved_ to see her blush?

She unwillingly granted his desire, blushing from head to toe and nearly fainting while she was at it. Ikuto was definitely the weirdest boy ever!

Weird... And for some reason, incredibly _sweet_.

A tap sounded against her door and soon it was pushed open, her mother stepping in with a tray of tea and cups.

Amu flipped around, stammering as if she had been caught doing something terribly shameful.

"M-mama!" she squeaked, reminding Ikuto of how her father does the same. "You scared me!"

Her mother smiled apologetically, clearly confused at what her daughter was so anxious about. She padded over to the small table, bending to place down the tray and pour the tea into the cups before standing and stepping back over to the doorway.

"Dinner will be done shortly, alright kids?"

They nodded in unison, and she departed back down the staircase. Amu turned to Ikuto and stared at his eyes for a moment as he stood to pad over to her table, kneeling down on one of the plush cushions- not plush enough for sleeping on, he recalled. Nothing like a real bed. Like Amu's bed...

Or maybe it was just Amu that made it so comfortable.

He smiled, until he noticed her staring and he looked up to her where she stood.

"What?" he asked before taking a sip of tea.

"N-nothing..."

"No." he said, setting his cup down. "You've done that twice tonight."

"What are you talking a-about, Ikuto?" she stammered.

He sighed, looking into her eyes. "First was when I was laying on your bed before, and then again just now. What are you hiding...? Were you daydreaming about me?"

Her jaw went slack. He could be so kind and then he just-!

Ugh he could be so annoying!

Amu stomped her foot.

"I... am not a pervert!"

Ikuto was pretty sure she had woken the dead with that one. He smirked.

She was still his little Amu.

* * *

And, there we have it. Thank you for reading!

Liked it? Hated it? Please, let me know!


	4. Stay

On we go, my friends.

I do not own Shugo Chara!.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 4: Stay  
**

Dinner had gone without a hitch- well, aside from Tumugu sobbing and tearing through his food like he likely wished he could tear Ikuto apart.

Ikuto had told the family stories of his travels, the different kinds of people he met, the places he visited. About the time he had lost his phone, explaining to Amu how he had wanted to call her all this time, and earning a wail from her father.

"A fewee?" Ami had tried to repeat after Ikuto. "Amu nee-chan's boyfwiend got to ride a fewee? Like a super charactwer?" she beamed. Tsumugu blanched.

Amu had paled, not wanting the cat out of the bag about her little heart's eggs.

"Not 'fewee', Ami. 'Ferry', it's like a boat." Amu corrected, turning to smile sheepishly at Ikuto.

He had smiled faintly back, continuing his tale.

Dinner resolved rather peacefully, and Ikuto had even agreed to assist Amu in washing the dishes- which Midori had urged him was not necessary. He smiled once more, complimenting her cooking and how he needed to pay her back for the meal, and she had nearly fainted. He wasn't doing so well wooing Tumugu though...

He had taken to running laps outside to avoid melting down. Amu sighed.

Ikuto smiled a small smirk at Amu, taking another plate from her to dry and place in the cabinet. The room was silent aside from the clinks of porcelain and silverware being washed. Midori had taken Ami up to bed, and left the two to finish up downstairs- not without Ikuto saying that he could and would take care of it more than happily, his intense eyes making her swoon once more.

Amu choked on the thought. He was such a sly cat playing dirty tricks like that.

"Your family is nice." he commented bluntly while placing a plate up to its place on the shelf.

"How's my mom?" she muttered.

"Hm?" Ikuto rose a brow.

"Do you always use your l-looks like that?" she stuttered realizing what she had just said, unintentionally calling him attractive. She would have taken it back, but the damage had already been done. She screamed at herself internally, sure that she could feel her soul die and leave her body.

A smirk dance along his lips, head tilting to the side in mock curiosity. Those sapphire eyes as deep as ever.

"My looks, Amu?"

She blushed, focusing on the plate in her hands, scrubbing with the sponge and attempting to ignore his voice. _Ugh he was infuriating!_

Soon enough he had drawn closer, standing just behind her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. She could practically hear his smirk in his voice.

"Ah, so you think my looks are a power worth abusing, ne Amu?"

Amu's face felt like it had been set ablaze, up in a poof of smoke, and she turned to smack him away with the first thing she could find- which just so happened to be the sponge in her hand, slopping Ikuto's shirt with a liberal amount of soapy water. She froze, as did Ikuto, both glancing down to the mess she had made of him.

"Ne, Amu, I guess this means I get to get you back for this, hm?" His smirk returned as he processed the situation, his voice drawn and casual, and reached around Amu's form to cup water in his hand from the running faucet.

Amu blinked at him, slowly gathering what he meant to do.

"I-ikuto... Don't you dare-"

She was cut off as the splash of warm water hit her face, dripping down her reddened cheeks. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, golden eyes wide as she stared at the teen.

"You look cute like that... Amu~" he let his voice drop lower, his eyes intense as he leant in closer holding the moment for what seemed like forever before he moved forward and pecked Amu on the nose.

_Just like that time..._

Amu squeaked, raising the sponge to bat him away again, getting him even soapier than he already was.

After that, a small water war had been waged. Amu armed with a soapy sponge, and Ikuto ducking to gather more water from the faucet. They continued until Amu gave Ikuto one final slap with the sponge and he dramatically slipped to the floor, somehow managing to make it still seem graceful.

He cradled his hands over his eyes, moaning slightly through parted lips. Immediately, Amu dropped her sponge and hurried to kneel beside him. Her brow creased in worry, and she leant over him to try and see the damage she had done. Attempting to pull his hands away from his face, she mumbled guiltily.

"Ikuto... Did I get soap in your eyes?"

She heard him breathing, his chest rising and falling softly in tremors, but he did not speak. Her worry only grew, and she pulled closer to him, trying at pulling his hands away again.

Was he really hurt?

"Ikuto, are you alright?"

Ikuto waited, patiently for her to draw close enough to him, hiding his smirk behind his hands and pretending to moan in pain. She was hesitant, but eventually, he had her leaning right over him, pulling at his hands gently. His smirk grew in stride.

In a movement faster than she could have anticipated, Ikuto's arms moved to clasp around her waist, pulling her down against him. Her face smushed to his chest and he tucked his chin to the top of her head, as she lay there stunned. His tight embrace loosened a bit, as he switched motives and simply held her to him gently, hands trailing up her thin back soothingly.

"Yay, I tricked you..." he whispered, nuzzling into her hair.

It took several minutes for the moment to playback through in Amu's mind in slow-motion so she could catch up.

Ikuto had been hurt.

He had not been moving or talking.

Then, suddenly he was alright.

Then he held her so gently she thought she might melt...

_And then he goes and says that?!_

Amu blushed like a tomato, her arms flailing as she now fought his hold, which to her dismay had tightened back around her once more. She heard something low and softly rumbling, making Ikuto's chest convulse slightly, and her eyes shot up to see what was going on.

_He was laughing!_

Her temper flared, her body struggling against his greater strength, arms thrashing out as she screamed at him.

"Ikuto you stupid pervert! Let me go!"

Adding fuel to her fire, he continued to laugh at her expense, but his convulsions did cause him to lose his grip on her and she squirmed free at last. Amu scrambled back a few paces scooching on her bottom, watching him wrap an arm around his middle to sate the burning in his belly from laughter.

As if the sound alone was enough, Amu felt her own irritation slipping away, and soon a giggle erupted from her lips. Crawling back over to the teen as he began to calm slightly, Amu retrieved the sponge from the floor where she'd dropped it earlier, holding it above him and giving it a twist to release the absorbed liquid.

Ikuto stilled as he felt the water run cooly over his midsection, and his eyes shot wide before they slid to look at Amu in shock. She giggled triumphantly.

"That's for tricking me."

The smirk returned to Ikuto's lips, and he pulled himself up into a sitting position and rose an eyebrow.

"Ah, but now the cycle of revenge will never end, Amu..." he looked serious for a moment, before a smirk broke forth again and he flipped their earlier position so that he now leaned overtop of her. The faintest of blushes meeting his own pale cheeks now. She was so beautiful.

Her heart pounded in her chest, and she was reminded of the time he had fallen on top of her after trying to steal Suu's unhatched egg. The nervousness was just as strong, she blushed.

_He was so close... His eyelashes were so long... His shampoo smelt so good..._

Amu tried to blink the stars from her eyes, but she couldn't seem to clear the sparkles from her vision. What was Ikuto up to?

The teen smiled softly, using this distraction to peel the sponge from her hand, and holding it over her shirt as she had to him. In one long fingered hand, he squeezed the remaining water from the squishy object and chuckled as he heard her squeal in shock. Her large golden eyes looked up at him in disbelief before an angered pout found her expression and she tried to push him away to no avail.

"Ikuto! You got me all wet!"

"Ne, Amu, don't tease me."

She froze for a moment, giving him an honestly confused look. He sighed, shaking his head before laughing.

"Ah, it looks like she didn't get it." He gave a smirk and a hopeless shrug.

Amu watched Ikuto curiously, his glittering starlight eyes. She wasn't sure why, but right now, it felt good to be with Ikuto like this. Like they were just playing... Like they were best friends. Like he was someone her age, she smiled.

After a few moments, Ikuto rolled off of her, freeing her from under him as he sat up to lean against the lower cabinet doors. He sighed, letting his head loll back to rest against the wooden panel and allowing his night dark eyes slip closed.

He looked kind of cool like that. Amu blushed.

So carefree and calm, relaxed like a content housecat- aside from the water that he likely hated that he was drenched with. She giggled.

"You're so weird...Ikuto." she mumbled, feeling her shyness creep back up on her.

He feigned a frown of hurt, keeping his eyes shut to her, before finally letting one peek open at her red face and smirking slyly. She reached to push him by the shoulder, causing both of his eyes to fully open before he toppled over into a puddle.

He laid there for a minute in slight shock, before a laugh broke from his chest and he rolled onto his side. Those low, vibrating chuckles ringing like music. Amu watched him with half amusement, but soon she could hold out no longer, and she joined his fit of laughter and fell to the puddle beside him.

From around the corner, her parents watched, each with different emotions. Her mother placed a hand on her husband's chest, holding him back from stepping into the kitchen. She turned to him with a smile.

"Let's head to bed, dear." she spoke softly, causing Tsumugu to sputter desperately.

"But, M-mama!" he whined in a hushed voice.

"Ikuto-kun is a good kid, and we both know Amu is smart..." Midori paused, her hand over her heart. "Besides, don't they kind of remind you of us when we first started dating?"

Tsumugu froze, wiping his tears away to look lovingly at his wife. She was right... But it was still their daughter.

"What if that boy makes Amu-chan dirty?" he whimpered.

His wife hushed him, turning to face him. "I told Amu I would give her another chance. And this time, I am willing to trust that she will tell us if anything happens. Please trust her, dear." Midori smiled, tugging her husband gently down the hall and up the stairs to bed.

She would trust Amu, or Amu would never learn to trust them.

In the kitchen, Ikuto and Amu both had finally calmed of their bouts of laughter, now looking around them at the mess they'd made. Quietly, having finally realized that everyone else in the house had retired for the night, they set to drying off the floor and finishing the dishes. Plates were stacked, utensils stored away, and pots and pans scrubbed and deposited to their rightful homes.

It would have been so much easier for them if Suu had been there. Amu sighed.

When they finally finished, Amu turned to Ikuto with a blush settling in as the awkward atmosphere from earlier in her room returned. She fidgeted, finally looking up to his gaze. The intensity it always held had returned, and she found herself lost in his sights.

Why did he look at her like that sometimes...?

_What was it that Ikuto thought of...?_

"Ne, Amu." Ikuto spoke softly, drawing closer, and she blushed hotter as her attention fell completely to him. "I should go." the teen finished.

Amu looked at him for a moment, her wide golden depths searching his in confusion.

"Go?" she whispered, and Ikuto nodded once.

"Unless... You want me to stay, _Amu_." he smirked, gaining himself a very red Amu and a rough shove to the chest.

"I-i never said that... B-but, if you don't have anywhere else to go...You could stay h-here for a night, Ikuto." her muttering only intensified her blush with embarrassment, and she looked away from the Ikuto in a huff.

"Alright..." his smirk melted into a sincere smile, and he lifted a hand to ruffle her hair. "Thank you, Amu."

The two of them exited the kitchen, flipping the bright lights off with a click, and Amu watched as Ikuto padded silently down to the genkan. For a moment, she wondered if he'd leave even after what he had told her. Would he just disappear again?

A part of her heart sunk. Maybe he wasn't here to make her his, just yet...

Her face lit up like a red light, glowing brightly with a puff of steam.

_As if she had asked him to come sweep her off her feet!_

She bit her lip, eyes lowering to the floorboards.

"_...your paths keep crossing and they pop up when you least expect it- Like fate is throwing you together..."_

Once again Taro-san's words drifted up in her mind, making her fidget. Ikuto had always seemed to accidently cross paths with her, and though she had thought that would end when he left, here he was again out of nowhere. Like they just couldn't stay apart...

Did that mean...?

Amu shook her head, her soft pastel hair swaying. Ikuto couldn't be... Tadase had...

Ikuto paused for a moment in collecting his duffle bag and violin case, ears perking to the sound of a whimper. His starlight eyes shown in the dark as he looked up to where Amu stood, her fingers knitted together and a trouble crease between her brows. He set it bags down, moving to stand in front of her, gently resting his long fingered hands on her shoulders and causing her to look up into his night dark eyes.

He searched the emotion in her eyes. Tonight, she was wearing her inner character on the outside, he noted. The defiance she normally had had melted away, and now a wave of sadness and embarrassment seemed to wash through her. For a moment he just held her gently like that, his glowing eyes holding hers as he studied the secrets behind her gaze.

Ikuto's face was serious, his eyes boring into her more than usual, and Amu nearly tried to blink and look away from those wine dark, starlit eyes, until he spoke softly.

"Tell me." he said simply, sights unwavering.

She swallowed nervously.

Amu didn't want him to know what she was thinking. She didn't want him to laugh at her for going through this emotional rollercoaster all because of some teenage boy's romance advice. He would think she was silly and childish. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, before she stammered weakly and faked a laugh and chuckle.

"I-i don't know what you're talking about, Ikuto..." she laughed again, the sound cracking. "I wasn't thinking of anything... Really."

Her smile fell, and wide golden depths lowered to the floor.

"You know, if you would tell me," he began, making her look up again, "I would console you. Hugs and kisses... and everything else."

His eyes were just as serious as the expression he wore, intently staring into her eyes, but she couldn't shake the fear that he would tease her like he always did.

"Ikuto... Please don't tease me-"

"I'm not."

"Ikuto... I-i..." Amu stammered, staring into his eyes shyly. "Why... Why did you really come back to Japan...?" she whispered.

He watched her for a moment, before she spoke up softly again.

"Y-you said you would... come back to find me," she blushed hotly, "when I became an adult... But, I-i'm not... I'm not a..."

Amu's words dried up in her mouth and she lowered her sights in embarrassment. Why could she not feel confident to speak in front of him?

Her thoughts were silenced as he pulled her against his chest, holding her there and wrapping his arms protectively around her. Their clothes were still damp from doing dishes, and it sent a shiver through Amu to feel how warm the contact was where the pressed together in contrast to the chilled material of their shirts. He felt so... comfortable.

Ikuto held her closely, his ragged heart skipping a beat when she didn't immediately pull away or fight him. The blush he hid from everyone but Amu tinting his cheeks once more as he buried his nose to the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of chocolate and strawberries. He smiled, breathing deeply.

Finally, he murmured against her hair.

"I know."

She nodded against his chest, though she wasn't sure why. It still made no sense why he was here, or why he had come to find her in the first place. Amu wanted to ask why, wanted a real and complete answer, but before she could speak her thoughts were cut short by a low rumble in Ikuto's chest vibrating softly.

If it were possible, it nearly sounded like a cat's purr.

"I-ikuto...?"

"Hm?" he breathed, nuzzling into her soft tresses.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Absorbing your scent," he told her.

Amu's brow twitched. She could hear the catlike smile in his voice, and her body gave a tremble, the irritation bubbling just under the surface.

"W-why?" she twitched.

"You smell good."

"_Ikuto..._" her voice warned, teetering on her slipping composure.

"Oh, come on, Amu..." he purred. "Don't I get a turn to be the smell pervert for once?"

That was it. She shoved him back, pounding her little fists against his chest as a blush lit her head to toe. "I am not a pervert!"

Ikuto shook his head with a smirk, stepping back to rub at his abused chest. She really was too cute.

And violent, he sighed.

Ah well, he breathed, he really wouldn't have had it any other way so long as she stayed his little Amu.

* * *

Please, review, and let me know how I am doing! Thank you all!


	5. Closer

Once again, on a roll here.

Thank you for all your support, it really keeps me going!

I do not own Shugo Chara!.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 5: Closer  
**

They had made their way silently up to Amu's room, shortly after Amu had finished her boxing match against Ikuto's defenseless chest, and he had gathered up his things. It was the first time, he realized with a skip of his pulse, that he actually had what could be considered an "overnight bag". It was a tad too exciting to think that it meant he was welcome to stay with her this time- even if the decision hadn't exactly been cleared by her parents.

They would hear about it in the morning, he supposed.

Ikuto sighed.

Amu led the way into her private space, stepping aside so he could set his things down. Tucking his violin case lovingly in the closet like he use to so long ago, dropping his bag by her table and nestling Yoru's little egg in with her four guardians. He moved soundlessly, setting things in place, before he finally turned to Amu. His starlight eyes far outdoing the heavens display out the window.

She breathed nervously.

It had been so long since they had shared this space, and she wondered if it would still be the same as before. Had they both changed too much for it to be as normal as it was? She didn't think she had changed all too much, but as unreadable as Ikuto was, it was really difficult to procure an answer if he had or not. He looked the same...

But, like always, she never knew what Ikuto was truly thinking.

He moved gracefully closer to her through the dim moonlit room, having left the light switched untouched, and Amu's frantic eyes glanced from the switch on the wall to Ikuto and back. Why hadn't he flipped the light on? He had been standing right there.

She stammered, "I-ikuto, why'd you leave the light off?"

"Why did you?" he countered softly.

Amu took a step back from his advances, the backs of her knees bumping into the side of her mattress. She swallowed.

"Because... I thought you would."

"Ah," he smirked momentarily, his eyes as striking as ever.

At last Ikuto was directly in front of her, drawing the hottest blush she had ever felt to her cheeks, burning from her hairline to her toes. Why was he so close?

_What does Ikuto think of...?_

Her mind shyly stuttered, as he leant down so that their noses nearly brushed. The air left Amu's lungs in a nervous puff, falling from her parted lips.

"Ikuto..."

"Ne, Amu..." he whispered, his eyes holding hers. She stammered, unable to respond, so he continued. "I'm cold... And tired. I could get sick." he warned.

A sound of confusion fell past her lips and she blinked, lowering her eyes so she could breathe once more.

_What was he saying all of a sudden?_

"If I stay in these wet clothes..." he leaned down to her ear, brushing the shell with his lips, "..._I'll freeze to death."_

Her face lit up like a rose red flare and her wide golden eyes blinked several times. He... He was telling her all that exactly...

_...Why?_

"W-what do you want me to do, Ikuto...?" her voice was uncertain in asking, but he smirked nonetheless, reaching for her hand.

He brought her hand up, resting it at the bottom hem of his dark t-shirt, pressing her hand palm down. Ikuto shivered at how warm her hand felt there, his eyes fluttering closed for a moment before he glanced back into her eyes, his own gleaming like stars in the dark.

Just how far would his little Amu go, now? He had to wonder.

Leaning in once more he whispered.

"Will you help me warm up, Amu?"

Wide golden eyes flickered nervously from his eyes, to where her hand was against his firm abdomen, as she bit her bottom lip gently.

_Just what was he suggesting she did?_

Her thoughts drifted back to the time he had crawled up in her bed all those months ago, claiming that her body was like a hot water bottle and she kept him warm.

Goosebumps rose on her skin, a shiver running through her as her hand trembled at the hem of his shirt. Then a thought struck her, and she pulled back with a huff. All he wanted was for her to give up her body heat to keep him and his cold bony appendages warm! Her memory shot back to the night he had climbed into bed and wrapped his frigid legs around her.

_Oh, she would kill that annoying catboy!_

She pushed him back a bit, "No way."

"Huh?" he sounded surprised, mouth forming an O shape.

"I said, no way!"

"I heard what you said, but why?"

She huffed turning her head from him and crossing her arms over her chest. "Because, it'll be just like last time. You'll wrap your bony arms and legs around me and try to use me as a human hot water bottle! Besides, you're all wet..." she blushed.

He stared at her for a moment, a question mark forming in his expression.

_His...bony... arms and legs?_ He pouted slightly.

"Ow, Amu... That hurt," he smirked. "But, it will be alright, you're all wet too, remember?"

"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" she huffed readying to turn completely from him, but he caught her chin, turning her back to look at him. His wine dark gaze was up to its old mesmerizing ways...

She gasped.

"Amu," he whispered, "are you going to be so mean to me when I've only just come back to you...?"

She froze, yelping as he wrapped his arms around her and turned to let their bodies fall to her mattress with her head to his chest. She could hear his heart pounding. It sounded so ragged and fast... Was Ikuto nervous too?

_What did he have to be nervous about?_

She sat still in his arms, listening the the pounding beneath his damp shirt. It was nerve racking and calming all at the same time, and Amu couldn't decide if she wanted the moment to end quickly or last a little longer.

Ikuto breathed, trying to calm himself, feeling heat well in his chest and spread through his body like wildfire, tinting his ivory cheeks pink. She felt so good held in his arms like this, it was a comfort he never wanted to let go of. And honestly, he would have held her captive there longer had it not been for his knowledge of how Amu was prone to function.

He had given them a test, a heated situation, to see how she would handle it. To see how far she would let him go.

Ikuto smiled against her hair, hugging her tightly. She had reacted to his advances much the way he had thought she would. Like a child might. He sighed. Even as long as it had seemed he had been away from her, she was still the same Amu he had left. On one hand, it made him smile, knowing that she hadn't gone off to become someone he wouldn't recognize...

On the other, it sent a shiver of sadness through him. It meant that he had a long time to wait before he could truly come back to try for her heart. He knew he was willing to wait the time, but the worry that she would find someone who was available then and there had always nagged at his thoughts. She could so easily find someone better for her...

He had realized that long ago.

He had just been too selfish to let her in on it.

If she were to realize the same thing... She would disappear from his life and into the arms of another boy.

In all honesty, he had been shocked when she brought up what he had said before leaving, that he'd come back for her when she was an adult. She wasn't an adult yet, and he knew that was what she was trying to say downstairs. But for his heart's sake, he had to try and see if now would be acceptable to truly tell her about his feelings.

He felt her move against his chest, and he pulled back a bit to look into her wide golden eyes.

_She was still too young... _

_He would have to wait._

"Ikuto..." she whispered, breaking his train of thoughts.

"Hm?"

She stared into his starlight eyes, her cheeks adorably pink and her lips partially parted. He breathed, waiting for her to speak.

_Amu..._

She whispered.

"I... can never tell w-what you're thinking... And, sometimes... it makes me really nervous." The girl watched him in wonder, a look of honesty in her admission that no one else had likely ever seen on her features. Her outer character was gone now. As Ikuto's presence was prone to cause.

Only Ikuto ever saw this side of her...

She blushed more.

Ikuto shifted so that he could stare into her eyes more clearly, his gaze firm and glowing in the dark. Amu silently gasped.

It was just like that time... Back when Tadase had confessed. She shivered a bit. Back then, Ikuto had rested on her bed beside her, watching her with the same eyes as he was now. She had to wonder, if he was thinking the same thing now.

"I-ikuto..." she mumbled. "What do you think of...?

"You."

Her breath caught in her throat and she felt heat rush through her. Why did he have to say it so suddenly like that?

"Ikuto... Please, don't tease me-"

"I'm serious."

Amu's wide honey colored eyes shone like the sun, and his like the stars at night, glowing in the dark as they stared at each other. Neither really knew how long they had laid that way, wordless and lost in each others' sights, but eventually the shiver Amu gave brought Ikuto to blink back to reality.

As warm as it was pressed together, they were both still wearing damp clothing, and Ikuto sat up to look over Amu. A shiver passed through him as the warmth of her skin left his side. He whispered.

"Ne, Amu, we should change into dry clothes... Before we both freeze to death."

She sat up on her elbows beside him, gazing up at the way the moonlight played across his face, bleaching his skin like snow and making the starlight in his eyes glimmer. Night seemed to suit Ikuto best. Like the two had been conceived at the same time to compliment each other.

Amu nodded finally to his suggestion, scooting to sit on the edge of the mattress and dangle her legs over the side, fidgeting with her hands. Ikuto glanced at her wordlessly, a smile tugging at his lips. If she kept that up, he might start believing she'd mistaken him for Tadase.

"You change first."

Amu looked up, hearing his voice. Her blush rose in temperature, spreading over her body. The girl nodded again to the teen, slipping to her feet and hesitantly padding over to her closet. She stopped, looking over her shoulder.

"I won't look." Ikuto spoke, his eyes trained on the moon shining through the window, the planes of his face calm and even as his voice had been.

Amu smiled thankfully at his averted attention, turning back to the closet. She couldn't place the feelings she was having tonight. It was strange, a warmth she had never felt before, like her inner character had heated up so much and shone so brightly that the icy outer Amu had been melted away. It was hard to know how long it would last, yet for now, it was the most refreshing- and nerve-racking feeling she had ever had in Ikuto's presence.

In contrast to what she usually felt with him, the embarrassing and carefree feeling she had felt while they had had their water battle, this feeling was almost like her blood was on fire. Like some immense pressure was building and fluttering in her belly. Downstairs, she had wanted to be able to call Ikuto a kid just like her. Now, she felt almost like she wanted to reach out and take hold of the feelings someone Ikuto's age got to feel.

Like behaving like an adult was just within her reach for the first time.

With Tadase, things were so simple, awkward and slow. They would stare at each other and blush, searching for things to talk about confidently. It was a giddy, warm kind of relationship.

But with Ikuto...

It was like she had caught ablaze, her skin flushed, and the timid feelings of a childhood crush melded with the rush of something much heavier- much more intense just beneath the surface. Hot and exciting, completely embarrassing when she thought about it, and more than a little nerve-racking. She felt like, if she were to take another step, she might just stumble onto Ikuto's side of the field.

Amu bit her lip.

She doubted Ikuto thought the same, however. He would likely tease her if she asked what the feelings all meant... If they were anything like what he felt. His heart had been pounding too though, she had heard it.

Amu let her night shirt slip over her head, the silky material sliding to fall just at the waistband of the matching silky pajama pants. Nervously, she turned back to Ikuto, whispering.

"I'm done now, Ikuto..."

Ikuto turned his head toward her, his eyes alight with glimmering emotions- all of which she had a hard time deciphering. He turned in his spot, shifting to pull himself up from the bed, and stand to walk to stand in front of her. He smirked for a moment, tilting his head while she stared at him.

"Nice modest lingerie, Amu..." His eyes glowed.

After a moment of her saying nothing, nor hitting him repeatedly, Ikuto let a thin brow raise. That had been meant as a small tease, but she had failed to acknowledge it at all. The teen couldn't help but think that something might be wrong. His tone turned serious, eyes intense as he gazed into her own.

"Amu... What is it?"

Her mouth opened and closed silently, appearing to have heard him this time yet having nothing to say. She blushed.

Finally, her voice small, she squeaked, "Ikuto... Can I ask you something?"

_What was she doing?_ Amu's heart raced, skipping a beat. What was this feeling she had?

Ikuto nodded silently, waiting for her to speak.

It took a long moment for her voice to resurface, and when it did, it was no more than a trembling whisper.

"When... you put my hand on you before... Would you have let me actually take your shirt off?" She lowered her eyes, knowing how pathetic it had sounded. It was a time like this, she wished her outer character would come back to her. She sighed.

"If you had wanted to..." he answered, his heart skipping a beat, though his expression remained as serious as before.

_What was she asking...?_ He felt his stomach flip, butterflies filling his belly aflutter.

"I do," she murmured, unaware that it had come out aloud. She blinked, hearing her own voice and blushing ten fold.

"Then... if you want to," he reached for her trembling hand, placing it once more palm down at the hem of his shirt, waiting.

_Ikuto would actually let her do something so dangerous...?_

In a flash of reality, Amu felt her sense of modesty come flooding back to her and her outer character slapped her harshly across the face. She retracted her hand with a yelp.

"N-nevermind, forget I said that, Ikuto!" she stammered.

Bolting to the bed faster than he thought she had in her, she stuffed herself under the plush covers and tossed them up over her head, rolling over to face the wall in her cocoon.

Ikuto smirked faintly, despite the way his heart fell within his chest in slight disappointment. It didn't matter though, he held his smile, the flame of hope had been lit within his heart. She had done more than he ever thought she would- at least, as she was now. Amu had been willing to try, and that was enough to get him wondering if perhaps he had been wrong.

Maybe Amu had grown up a bit.

She still had a ways to go, however. He chuckled.

She huffed under the muffling of the blankets, and Ikuto reached to poke at her side through the fabric. The heaviness in the atmosphere was beginning to dissipate.

"Ne, Amu... How am I going to change into warm clothes if you don't help me?"

The teen smirked.

Amu bellowed from under her covers, "You can change yourself, you lazy pervert!"

"Ah, so now she's calling me names..." he lowered his voice, "Are you sure _I'm_ the pervert, Amu...?"

She squeaked, her wide eyes incredulous though he couldn't see them.

"Go change! You smell like dish soap!"

"Hmp," he chuckled under his breath. "Fine."

Ikuto made his way to his bag, stripping of his wet clothing and laying them out in hopes that they would dry, before slipping into a dry pair of pants and a clean shirt and tucking the bag back by the table. His sock covered feet padded over to her bedside, standing just above her and waiting for her to demand that he sleep on the floor. Miraculously, she said nothing and it only took him a moment to realize that she had already drifted off to sleep under the covers.

With a soft smile, he pulled the other side of the covers back, sliding into bed beside her, careful not to wake her as he wound his long arms around her and pulled her to his chest. She was so warm...

It was good to be home.

* * *

_Oh Ikuto... You are such a sexy tease..._ XD

And I'm off to write more! Please, review, and tell me how I am doing! Thank you!


	6. Favors

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

Yeah, it just doesn't stop.

I do not own Shugo Chara!

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 6: Favors  
**

Amu awoke to the feeling of a tiny hand prodding at her face, frantically trying to tell her something through her sleep. Pattering against her, and slowly prodding her from her dreams.

She was warm though, wrapped in blankets and something that felt slightly... _Heavier_. Perhaps something a tad more _alive_, but in her slumber Amu chalked it up to nothing and proceeded to nuzzle deeper into the covers. Whatever it was, it was comforting, and the thought of continued sleep with it was too tempting to pass up.

"Ne, Amu-chan! You're late for school!" something that sounded like Ran's high pitched voice pierced another hole in her peaceful sleep. She grumbled.

_Not yet, Ran..._

"And, Ikuto-san is here, desu!" Suu's voice followed up Ran's panicked one, more in wonder than anything.

That one got Amu to wake up.

She sat bolt upright in her bed, turning to look at the lump intertwined in the covers beside her. Her groggy mind slowly put two and two together, a blush pinker than her messy hair claiming her cheeks.

If Ikuto was here... Then, last night had been real... And she had really...

Her body went up in a poof of steam as her blush ignited like a firework. Frantically, she rose her hands to her head, scratching through her hair as if she could scrub the embarrassing memory from her brain in the process. She wailed helplessly.

"Ah, I can't believe I did something so out of character!"

Her characters all met her with a look of confusion, glancing at each other before Dia spoke.

"What happened, Amu-chan?"

Amu didn't answer, and instead fell backward back onto the bed she had just sat up from, failing to notice that the body beside her had silently rolled into the space she had left behind her in search of her heat. With a grunt from the lump of covers, Amu had accidentally fallen right on top of Ikuto's sleeping form, instantly waking him and causing a whine from the lazy house cat. He grumbled, coming out of his dreams.

She turned to watch in wonder as his night dark eyes fluttered open slowly.

"Ah, Amu it's you... No wonder it was so heavy." he muttered, yawning.

Amu's cheeks puffed, her brow twitching at the teen's joke. She grabbed the pillow out from under him, swatting him over the head several times with it while she shouted.

"Ikuto, you lazy house cat! I'm not fat!"

"But, you are late for school, nya..." Yoru boredly added as he floated past the scene, paws behind his head.

Amu squawked, dropping the pillow.

"Ran! Why didn't you tell me?" the middle schooler wailed, and the little pink cheerleader sweatdropped, her shoulders drooping.

"A-amu-chan..." Ran muttered.

Miki piped in, "And she's suppose to be the heroine..." They all joined Ran in sweatdropping, leaving Amu alone to panic.

Amu scrambled from the bed, nearly shoving Ikuto from the mattress as she climbed over him, scampering over to her closet and furiously pulling out her school uniform. She tore her pajama top from her body, completely forgetting the set of eyes that watched her from behind.

"So... You wear a bra now, hm?" Ikuto's voice caught her by surprise, and she yelped.

Rushing to cover herself, Amu stammered, scolding him.

"I-ikuto, you pervert!" Her shoulders trembled.

He sighed, "Ah, no name calling first thing in the morning... Besides, you're the one who stripped for me."

Her jaw went slack, still she kept her back to him. "S-stop looking at me! And, I did not strip for you, perverted old man!"

"Hn, whatever." he yawned.

She waited, biting her lip.

"They're closed now... _Amu_." Ikuto purred.

She peeked at him over her shoulder, releasing a breath of relief to see he had told the truth. Hurriedly she pulled her uniform on, stuffing her legs into the red matching legwarmers and slipping her feet into her socks. She slid across the room on the polished wood for extra speed- or opportunities to trip- and sat herself at her vanity, tugging a brush through her hair and slipping her black X clips in.

She scurried out of the room, presumably to rush to the restroom to take care of washing her face and brushing her teeth, before she slid back into the room and shut the door quickly. Her eyes searched around the room, making sure everything she needed was either on her or taken care of.

Finally she grabbed her school bag and slung it over her shoulder, standing in the middle of the room to breathe.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Ikuto asked softly.

"Oh, uh... Yeah, you're good now." she mumbled guiltily.

_He had really kept his eyes shut all that time...?_

His night dark eyes fluttered open, raising an eyebrow as he saw her standing there panting. He smirked.

"See... I told you eating junk food all the time would sap your stamina." Ikuto deadpanned with a yawn.

Amu stuttered, her cheeks red as she crossed her arms over her chest, but Ikuto's movements cut her off before she could shout at him.

Gracefully, he pulled himself from the nest of covers, silently padding past her. He reached for his clothing he had laid out, folding the now dry shirt and jeans, and stuffing them into the duffle bag. He pulled out a new t-shirt to wear and, with his back to her, stripped of the one he wore to sleep and placed it in the duffle bag as well.

Amu's eyes traveled up his thin back, watching the lean muscles flex as he lifted his arms to slide into the new shirt he had gathered. She shook her head, realizing what she had been doing, and pouted as if it had been his fault to begin with.

He continued to move around the room, having pulled a sweat jacket from bag as well, and zipped it over his t-shirt while he opened her closet to gather up his violin. After a moment of awkward silence, Amu finally spoke up.

"I-ikuto... Where are you going?" She had school, but he didn't need to be anywhere this early yet, did he?

"Walking you to school."

She blushed. "Why? Don't you have... More important things to do?" Amu stuttered.

Ikuto turned to her, completely ready to go, and a small smirk on his lips.

"Hm, like to stay here and be interrogated by your father...? It sounds like fun actually..."

The blush colored middle schooler rolled her eyes at Ikuto's sarcasm, and ignored his catlike grin to turn and attach her egg holster to her studded belt.

"Ah," Ikuto made a sound, and Amu watched him as he stepped over to her bedside table, lifting something from the surface of it with his long fingered hand.

He returned to stand in front of her, raising his hand to hold something out for her to see, the object shining and glittering in the morning sunlight. It swung to and fro as he let it hang from its chain and she gasped with recognition.

_Her lock!_

"Ne, you forgetting something, Amu?" he held it out to her.

At one point, long ago, she would have been afraid of Ikuto getting his hands on the Humpty Lock- afraid that he would steal it away from her. But now, the thought of it being in his hold only reminded her of how close it had brought her to him. Paired with the Dumpty Key, it was the reason she had gotten to know Ikuto's true self so well. She had seen his past on the Road of Stars.

Amu smiled, reaching out to take the lock from him.

They both turned as the doorknob rattled and a voice called out, "Amu-chan, Ikuto-kun, are you up yet...?"

The door opened to reveal her mother, smiling pleasantly, despite the fact both kids knew that they should have been in trouble. They blinked at each other in matching confusion, before turning to look back at Midori.

"Ah, good. You're up," she smiled. "Amu, you only have fifteen minutes to get to school. You should hurry and eat breakfast."

Amu blanched. She was definitely going to be late.

The fall trimester was only just starting, and this would be the second time she had been late. Amu drooped, a guilty sigh sliding from her lips.

"No thanks, Mama. I don't have time to eat," she bowed in apology, "I should get going, Ikuto's walking me to school!"

Amu grabbed Ikuto by the wrist, tugging him past Midori and to the stairs, leaving the woman to blink in confusion. _Kids..._ She sighed. Always in a hurry.

Ikuto complained as he was nearly drug down the staircase, trying to catch himself before he tumbled the rest of the way down behind Amu. His hand grabbed the handrail, stabilizing himself.

"Ne, Amu-!" he called, nearly tripping..

Amu, however didn't stop to listen to him, nor to her father who stepped out to squawk something about the "bad boy" still being there. She tugged Ikuto around the corner, pulling him to the genkan, and barely giving him time to slip into his shoes and grab his jacket as she stuffed herself into hers and bolted out the door.

The two of them stumbled out onto the sidewalk, and Amu lifted her phone from her pocket to check the time.

_Thirteen minutes till the chimes would ring._ She bit her lip.

Ikuto stared at her for a moment, wondering how long she would give him before she bolted off again. Then, an idea struck him. He motioned to Yoru with his hand, the little cat flying up and nodded, before Ikuto leant down to set down his bag and violin case.

Amu heard the case touch down on the concrete, and turned just in time to hear Ikuto murmur something under his breath, his hands formed into a familiar pose.

"My heart: Unlock."

Light enveloped him for a moment, sparkling as Ikuto and Yoru merged into one character. The one-hundred and twenty percent combination of their power. After a short time, the glimmering light died down, and left Ikuto standing there in his Black Lynx form- cute cat ears atop his head and all. Amu blushed.

Quickly, he bent to gather up his things once again before he turned to Amu, the large metal cross on his chest clinking against the belt around his torso. She blinked at him.

"Ikuto... Why did you character transform?"

"You're late."

She yelped as he stepped forward and scooped her up into his arms, holding her bridal style. Her heart pounded loudly, trying not to think about his bare abdomen she could easily reach to touch. Amu blushed.

_No way... this was all too sudden... Especially after the previous night..._

Amu could feel her cheeks glowing brightly.

Ikuto looked down to the girl in his arms, giving her a small smile and pulling her closer, which earned another small yelp.

"I-ikuto-!"

"Hold on tightly," Ikuto warned.

She nodded, and with that he leaped up to the telephone wire, hopping from one to another with superhuman bounds- well, super_cat_ bounds, that was. He moved quickly enough not to cause people enough pause to look up, and soon Amu found that the school was just in view ahead.

The girl turned her gaze to her own chest, where her hands were folded in a prayer like gesture, before she let her golden coin like eyes drift up to look at Ikuto. The wind made his forelocks whip around in his eyes, making him blink a few times, and shading his cheekbones with his long eyelashes. His mouth was pressed into a concentrated line, and Amu wondered if she was making this difficult for him. She could have done Character Transform as well, if he had given her the chance.

Why was Ikuto being so nice like this...? One minute he would tease her, and the next... Amu blushed. Ikuto didn't make any sense at all.

_Did Ikuto really like her that much?_

_So much that he would go through all this trouble, that he wanted to come back... and make her his?_

Amu's heart skipped a beat, feeling her belly drop as if she were falling. Glancing away from Ikuto, Amu realized that they were in fact, falling. She gasped.

Ikuto had jumped from the roof of a three story apartment complex he had leapt to, falling gracefully now down to the ground, a block away from the gates to her school. He landed in an alleyway on his feet like a cat, letting the transformation drop as he set Amu on her feet. Ikuto smirked as she looked up at him in a mixture of emotions.

"Thank you, Ikuto... You... really are a good person," she murmured.

Ikuto sighed, looking away. "Jaa, whatever you say..."

The look in his eyes changed a bit, and Amu looked at him curiously as he stepped closer to her and leaned down to whisper lowly.

"Ah, you owe me now, though..." he breathed softly against her neck. "_Amu."_

Amu squeaked, her face reddening as he stepped back from her and her irritation returned with her spicy character.

"Forget what I said, you aren't _that _good of a person!" She huffed.

Ikuto pouted, eyes glimmering. "Ow, Amu. How mean."

She turned her back to him, trying to avoid feeling guilty.

"Oh get over it, you pervert."

"Ne, no name calling..."

The girl ignored him, pulling her phone from her pocket once more and checked the time. She gasped.

_Ikuto had gotten her here in three minutes...!_

Amu smiled, thanking the teen in her head so he could avoid letting it go to his. She didn't feel like praising him when she was still irritated with him.

Silently, Ikuto followed behind Amu as she walked up the street, crossing over to her school. Students were filing in through the majestic gates, chattering happily. From the crowd, a boy's voice called out to the pink middle schooler enthusiastically, seeming to either ignore or simply overlook who stood just behind her.

"Hey, Joker! Long time no see, eh?" The boy's bright green eyes shone happily as he stepped through the crowd to stand in front of her.

_Kukai!_

Amu hadn't seen him in a while since summer break had just ended, and this was the first time she had run into him with the fall trimester only a week in. She smiled.

"Kukai-senpai-" Amu registered what he had called her, and her cheeks reddened. "You know I'm not the Joker anymore, right?" she muttered.

"Sure, but you're still our trump card, aren't you?" he laughed, ruffling her hair. Amu squawked, rushing to try and fix her hair. "You're too much, Amu!" he laughed happily.

Once his chuckle died down, his green eyes seemed to recognize the man who now stood at Amu's side silently, hands drawn within his pockets as he watched the two middle schoolers talk. The redhead's mouth formed a big O before he spoke up.

"Whoa, Tsukiyomi Ikuto!?"

Immediately, the Souma boy's thoughts went to the very important blonde in his life who happened to be related to this man. He blanched a bit, but kept up a smile as façade.

"What are you doing back here? I thought you skipped town like a year ago. Does Utau know you're back?"

Ikuto's eyes slid to meet the younger boy's own, his wine dark depths intense as ever, making Kukai swallow nervously.

_That's right_... Ikuto thought. _Kukai was the boy that Utau was dating now. _

Ikuto smirked.

"How's my sister?" Ikuto easily questioned back, his sights challenging.

"Eh heh, right... Sh-she's good." Kukai tried to laugh it off, adding for distraction, "You here for her birthday next week? I-i bet she's looking forward to seeing you..."- _a little too much, if she knew_.

Internally Kukai seethed in jealousy. The last thing he wanted was Utau to go gaga for her brother again... Things had been going so well lately.

"Maybe." Ikuto yawned, looking away from them. "But, she doesn't need to know that. Got it?" he said, eyes flicking back to look at Kukai.

_As if I would want her to..._ Kukai smiled. "Sure thing, I won't mention anything."

Kukai said his goodbyes, departing quickly from the pair and rushing off to class. Amu turned back to Ikuto, a look of confusion on her face. _Was that what Ikuto had really come back for? Utau's birthday?_

It made sense, and yet her heart still dropped just a little. She bit her lip.

"I-ikuto-"

"Jaa, Amu..." he began softly, leaning down to her and causing several students to stop and watch. "I should let you get to class."

Amu swallowed her question... It wasn't really that important anyway.

She nodded to him silently, blushing as he drew even closer. He was so close again, she breathed shakily, fighting the feeling of sadness that welled just under her shyness. She didn't know why, but with last night... She had thought that maybe he really had come back for her. She had just been silly.

_She had been so uncool-_

"Amu..." Ikuto's soft voice silenced her thoughts, her golden eyes drawing up to look into his starlit ones.

"I'll come back to you."

Her heart jumped. Had he heard her thoughts?

"... After school, I will be right here waiting. Remember... you owe me." With that he kissed her forehead gently, making the other female students around them squeal and gasp at the romantic gesture.

_What was he doing all of a sudden...?_

Ikuto leaned back, standing up to his full height once more, and raised a hand to give a curt wave. "Later, Amu..."

Amu watched him go, before turning and silently making her way into the school. She didn't know what was wrong with herself, or why she kept getting so worked up over Ikuto. It wasn't like she had ever done this before, and it wasn't as if she had a reason to feel the way she did. She was with Tadase... Well, kind of. Amu shook her head.

She didn't want to feel like her characters were splitting apart. Her outer one, the one she showed Tadase, and her inner character... The one only Ikuto ever saw. She sighed.

Maybe a normal day at her normal school could make her feelings go back to the way they were...

* * *

Poor Amu, so conflicted!

Please let me know how I did in a review, and thank you for reading!


	7. Advice

Hey guys, back again! This one is a little more Anime-verse than manga, seeing as in the anime Amu never find's out about Nagihiko being Nadeshiko. Hope that makes sense.

Enjoy!

I do not own Shugo Chara!.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 7: Advice**

Amu watched out the window, dutifully tuning out the happy chatter of other students who waited for class to start. It was just like always, she was the odd one out, too cool and spicy for the others to relate to. She sighed.

_They were doing it again..._

And now, the chatter of the "older boyfriend" she apparently had was buzzing louder than ever. Girls giggling and whispering about Amu's scandalous scene in front of the school.

"_They say he's a university student!"_ One girl had started, and Amu had no idea who 'they' were, or how they supposedly knew anything about Ikuto. She blushed.

"Hinamori-san is so cool! She even has older guys after her- And he was totally cool, too! I bet he's famous!- Did you hear that universities from all over Japan are trying to get her choose them? She's got them like all lined up in waiting for her or something! I bet she'll pick the one her boyfriend is at-" and it had continued from there, the outrageous rumors spawning one after another like wildfire.

_The trimester had only just begun_.

Amu sighed sadly.

That wasn't who she was. In fact, from how she had been feeling over the past night or so, she would put "cool" and "spicy" at the bottom of her list of characteristics. At the top would be "shy", "confused" and "hopeless".

"Oh... What's with this splitting character of mine?" she whined to herself, letting her head fall to her desk. "It's way too confusing."

_Why were things getting so difficult as she got older? Did Ikuto ever feel this way...?_

Amu bit back the blush she felt coming on. She had said she wasn't going to think about him for today, not until she had to. Otherwise, she didn't think she could take seeing Tadase today. Her wide golden eyes glimmered with unshed moistness, as she stared at her hands on her desk.

"Are you alright, Amu-chan?"

Amu jumped in her seat, turning to look up at the voice.

"Fujisaki-kun!" she squeaked, faking a smile and waving her hand in dismissal. "Yeah, I'm totally fine!" Her eyes lowered, and she bit her lip.

Nagihiko watched her for a moment, keeping the kind smile on his lips though his suspicion was settled that something was indeed wrong with the Hinamori girl. His warm brown eyes shone in concern, and he tilted his head to look over her.

"Are you sure, Amu-chan?"

She nodded, avoiding looking up.

Amu sat up straight and looked over in surprise as he took the desk next to her, turning sideways in his seat to face her. Amu gasped. The way he looked right now, the kindness and insight in his eyes... It reminded her exactly of his twin sister Nadeshiko. How she missed that girl's advice...

It was the first time she had a best 'girl friend', so to speak. She blushed a bit at the silliness of her thoughts. This was Nagihiko, not Nadeshiko. Though, they were twins, no one could blame her for having the memory drawn up. She sighed.

Nagihiko watched Amu for a moment, hesitating on rather or not to ask her about her evident issue again. If he had still had his other character on- the character of his "sister"- he had no doubt that Amu would have likely confided in him. But now, he was male, his true self. He smiled knowingly to himself, it was understandable that she would feel less comfortable talking to him.

Still, she was his friend, and he wanted to do all he could to help her out.

He breathed, smile kind and gentle.

"Amu-chan, what seems to be bothering you today? Does it perhaps have something to do with the new rumors?"

_Nadeshiko..._

Amu blinked from her thoughts, fidgeting nervously.

"Fujisaki-kun... C-can I ask you for a favor?"

The boy sighed silently, already knowing what she wanted to ask.

_In front of all these people?_

Taking the hint from the way her eyes glittered pleadingly and her hands folded in a prayer like gesture, he lifted his hands to his long hair and pulled it into a ponytail, securing it with the ribbon he used during gym. He tilted his head to the side a bit, letting his forelocks sway in a feminine manner, brown eyes soft.

"Ne, Amu-chan... "

Amu practically squealed and broke into tears at once. "Nadeshiko!"

Nagihiko sweatdropped, hushing Amu with his hand politely. "Amu-chan, this is embarrassing. Please don't make so many people look..." he pleaded, internally flinching at having to use the girl's voice he had long ago forewent.

He sighed.

Amu nodded fiercely, her mouth pressed in a tight line as if to prove she would not outburst again. After a moment, the girl finally spoke up with a blush tinting her cheeks, seemingly satisfied with the return of her friend Nadeshiko.

_Here goes..._

"What if... _Someone_ has someone they like," Amu began, her voice low and nearly guilty, and she whispered. "But, one day, they start to think that maybe someone else is the one meant for them... That fate threw this new person to them on purpose...? What should that person do, how do they choose?... How do you ever know for sure?"

Amu's voice was hushed, nervous.

Nagihiko gasped silently, mulling the thought through his mind a few times to digest it. It was clear that Amu was speaking of herself... Did that mean that she had found someone other than Tadase...?

_Then perhaps the earlier rumors had been..._

The Fujisaki boy cleared his throat, shaking the thoughts from his personal conflicts, and readied his voice.

"I think, there is no way to know until the choice was made if it was the right one... You just have to trust that your heart is on the right path. But, if this _someone_, is truly starting to have second thoughts... They should be honest with the person they care about. Sometimes, keeping secrets helps protect those we love, and other times... It hurts them more than we think it might." - _Don't hurt Hotori-kun..._ Nagihiko spoke, his internal thoughts continuing when he knew it best to shut his mouth.

Amu seemed to intake every word carefully, rolling them around in her mind and trying to fit it to an understanding. She knew that she couldn't keep being so wishy washy on her feelings forever... But between Ikuto and Tadase, it was just so unclear.

What Taro-san had said seemed to match up one piece after another to Ikuto... But where did that leave Tadase? Amu sighed, lowering her eyes, before faking a smile and looking back up to 'Nadeshiko'.

Amu cleared her throat a bit, forcing brightness back into her eyes.

"Thank you, Fujisaki-kun. I was just wondering, that's all."

He nodded unsurely, but let it go. Raising his hands to undo his hair, he let his normal personality slip back on. He sighed.

His only hope was that Amu didn't keep this a secret from Tadase when she made up her mind.

The chimes rang, students rushed to their seats and got out their supplies in waiting, as the homeroom teacher entered the room and class commenced. It was tedious and boring, at least to Amu, whose thoughts were entirely elsewhere. Her wide golden eyes lost in the skies outside her window. It was a beautiful day, the sky was so serene and calm and blue. She sighed.

Maybe more time would make things better.

With several subjects down, lunch break having been taken, the ringing of the final bell announced the ending of the school day. Amu slowly got up from her seat, gathering her things while she watched her guardian characters chatter happily to themselves.

"Ne, everyone, ready to go?"

They all paused, turning to smile at her and nod.

"Amu-chan," Suu piped up suddenly. "Aren't you suppose to meet Ikuto-san after school, desu?"

Amu's face lit up like a red lightbulb, a puff of steam enveloping her.

_That's right... He had said she owed him..._

Amu squawked, raising her hands to her cheeks. _Just what did she owe him, exactly!?_

_...What would Ikuto ask for?_

"Amu-chan... Are you alright?" Ran murmured floating over to her owner.

"I think she broke..." Miki deadpanned, sighing.

"Maybe she's thinking of what happened last night, desu?" Suu pondered aloud.

Amu's blush burned hotter, and she waved her hands in front of her face in dismissal, shaking her head frantically back and forth. She stammered.

"N-nothing happened last night! B-besides, even if it had, you guys slept through it so wh-what does it matter?"

She was not a very good liar under pressure.

"Sorry for being so tired last night, Amu-chan," Dia spoke. "Kiseki-san kept us out while you were at school yesterday with important training missions." She giggled.

"We were very tired, desu," Suu smiled apologetically.

Amu swallowed her bashfulness, and sighed at her characters with a smile.

_They were really good friends to have..._

The four of them happily chattered at Amu's side as they made their way out of the classroom and down the hall. Amu held her silence though, not trusting her outer character to hold up in front of other students while her thoughts kept slipping back to the night that apparently didn't happen- according to her. Just with the slightest thought, she could already feel the blush seeping back into her cheeks.

Why had Ikuto done that...?

Why had she asked something so dangerous like that?

_He had even given her permission to take his shirt off of him..._

Her cheeks bloomed into full blush, heating up hotly. Ikuto would have let her take an article of his clothing off! She could hardly wrap her mind around it, nor the strange heaviness that built inside of her when she thought about it. It was the same as last night, the electric, hot feeling. She groaned in her chest.

_Ikuto made everything so much more confusing_.

The early autumn breeze hit her bare legs as she stepped out into the schoolyard, making her shiver a bit. The sun was already lowering in the sky, passing late afternoon, and beginning to turn orange in the west. It felt nice though, something to wake her up from her thoughts.

Her steps carried her closer across the courtyard to the front gates, and her sights hesitantly looked up. She gasped.

_He really was here... _

Leaning against the front pillars to the gate's arch, Ikuto waited calmly with his starlight eyes settled on the horizon beyond and his arms crossed over his chest, the slight wind making his hair sway like she pictured it might in a shoujo manga. She blushed.

For a boy, Ikuto was sure beautiful.

A small smile found her lips, and she readied to take another step toward the front gate, when a voice caught her off guard. Her mind sputtered in embarrassment, and she flipped around to meet the speaker.

_Tadase!_

She hadn't seen him much at all but from afar today... He was running for student council, and it had kept him nearly entirely occupied with planning and special programs as the trimester started up. She blushed.

"T-tadase-kun..." she murmured.

The boy blushed, matching her own as well as her nervousness.

"A-amu-chan," he smiled. "I didn't get to see you today... Will you forgive me?"

Amu's blush remained, her voice strong enough to do no more than stutter incoherence as she nodded weakly.

"I'm glad," his pale red eyes glimmered. "I love you, Amu-chan."

Amu went up in a poof of steam, her cheeks bright red, until a hand clapped gently down on her thin shoulder, making her squeak. She turned her head to look up.

"Ah, so she's cheating on me already, hm?" Ikuto spoke, leaning down to Amu's sensitive ear. "How could you, Amu...?"

_Ikuto!_

Ikuto smirked at her, his eyes holding her captive for a moment. Why did he have to walk over just then...? He had surely heard what Tadase just said.

And now, how did she respond?

Tadase's face lit with shock, his eyes wide.

"Ikuto-niisan!" he gasped.

The teen turned his sights to the younger boy, a sly smile on his lips as he stood back up straight, keeping his hand on Amu's shoulder. He spoke.

"Yo."

Tadase stammered, "I-i thought you were searching for your father... Have you come back? How long will you stay?"

"Long enough to make sure Amu is mine." he responded simply, smirking.

"Nii-san! Hinamori-san isn't yours!" The hotori boy whined in refusal.

Ikuto looked down to Amu, pulling her against his side while he rose the other hand to tap at his chin in thought.

"Isn't she?"

"I-ikuto-niisan!"

"Hmp," Ikuto glanced down to Tadase with a grin, "Don't get so bent outta shape, Kiddy King... You can't fight fate."

Tadase whined once more, his brows furrowing as tried to get Amu away from Ikuto by way of scaring the catboy with his intimidating glare. Which, much to the former king's dismay, was having little to no effect. He looked like an angered puppy.

Fierce.

But harmless.

Ikuto smiled again.

Amu gasped, playing back what Ikuto had just said. _Fate..._

_Did fate really have something to do with all this, after all?_

She really didn't know.

Ikuto and Tadase continued bickering for a moment, Amu tuning them both out until she heard Ikuto speak gently.

"Amu owes me something..." his eyes lowered to meet her wide golden depths, his own smoldering with an emotion she couldn't name.

Her heart beat, and she wet her lips nervously.

"...Something important." Ikuto leant in, placing a kiss to her temple gently. She squawked in shock, face burning up.

Her eyes frantically slid to Tadase as the boy scrambled to find words of determinant and warning for the catlike teen, before she grabbed Ikuto by the wrist and drug him towards the front gate of the school like she had the devil on her tail. She called back frantically, excusing herself before Ikuto could do or say anything more dangerous.

"Th-that's right! I owe him some catnip! Lot's of catnip!" she stammered as they drew closer to the gate. "That's all, Tadase-kun! Please excuse us!"

They rounded the corner with Amu blazing down the sidewalk, getting them out of sight and sound of the former king. When they finally stopped, Amu turned to Ikuto in a huff. Her cheeks bright pink and puffed with irritation. He smirked.

"Ne, Amu, will you really buy me lot's of catnip...?"

"No, no way!" she screeched. "Why did you say all that in front of Tadase-kun!?"

Ikuto sighed, dropping the playful expression he wore, and leaning down to her height.

"Amu... I am not giving you up to him." he spoke, making her stammer.

_What was Ikuto saying all of a sudden?_

"I may have left, but I will never let him win you over... I told you, I will come back and make you love me, Amu."

Her eyes lowered in embarrassment, her cheeks flushed hotly. Ikuto was saying it again, she bit her lip. The same thing that had been swirling in her head all this time. He would come back for her... Make her love him.

She didn't even know what he really meant, and yet, she couldn't get it out of her head.

"_...You know when that person is a constant thought in your mind..."_

Taro-san's words came back to her again, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Maybe... Just, maybe. She shivered.

Making up her mind on all this...

It was just way too much right now.

She looked back up to Ikuto, her honey colored eyes glimmering softly in the dimming light of day.

"Wh-what is it I owe you... Ikuto?" she mumbled.

He stood up straight again, "Ah, well I took you somewhere you needed to go..."

He had paused there, making her impatient to hear where he was going with it.

"What is it, Ikuto?"

"Now I want to take you somewhere I need to go..."

She bit her lip, looking to the side. "You want me to go with you...? But I-"

"You don't have to work tonight." he cut her off, making her blink in confusion.

"H-how do you know?"

Ikuto smiled a catlike grin and slid his hands into his pockets, glancing to the side in a sly show. Amu waited for him to speak, her stomach flipping at the cunning expression he wore. Ikuto had better not have done anything weird.

"I stopped by to talk to your boss today... You have Tuesdays and Thursdays off."

Amu's jaw went slack, her eyes incredulous before she worked up the composure to fume. Her hands on her hips as she shouted.

"I-ikuto, you cat-eared-cosplaying stalker!"

He sighed. Name calling and all, Amu was still too cute to hate.

* * *

And, there we go. I hope you all enjoyed it, please let me know how I am doing in a review if you could, helps me to keep on track!

Thank you!


	8. Collecting

Whoop! Two chapter's in a day! I have more written... Should I post them, or make you all wait? _  
_

__I do not own Shugo Chara!.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours  
_

**Chapter 8: Collecting  
**

_The amusement park...?_

So this was where Ikuto had been leading her.

He had led them through alleyway after alleyway, down side streets and over fences- something Amu knew she ought to be use to by now. Their journey ended only a moment ago when they had stepped through the crevice of two buildings, scaled a fence and rounded to stride through the front entrance. She gasped, half in exhaustion and half in surprise. This is where Ikuto had wanted to go?

Unlike the very first time she had been brought to this place by Ikuto, it was no longer shut down and instead had been purchased by Easter- ironically enough- and was now up and running as it had been just before Ikuto's departure. Amu smiled.

The lights gleamed in the setting sun, the sounds of the machines and music whirring pleasantly through the wind. It looked magical.

Amu turned to Ikuto, watching the way a certain kind of fondness touched his expression.

"I-ikuto..." she murmured.

"Amu."

Ikuto turned to face her, a small smile on his lips, the fondness in his eyes becoming something slightly more..._ cunning_. Though, in her nervousness she had tuned out the implications.

"Will you... go on a date with me?" he smiled.

Amu lit up like a stoplight, her poor frazzled mind seizing up and frying under the heat.

_A... A d-date!?_

Somewhere in the background she could hear Suu's concerned voice mutter something about how _'Amu-chan has broken again, desu'_ , but she didn't have the mental capacity nor strength left to retort back to her character.

For the first time in all the times she had been led somewhere by Ikuto, he had used the word _date_... He had said it jokingly before, but never was it so straightforward... So real. Never was it a question.

She didn't think her heart could take it. It was so much, way too much...

An why all of a sudden like that...?

_Did Ikuto feel the strange heat when he was around her that she felt around him...?_

Her mind sputtered, mulling the word through her gears over and over. Maybe he did feel that way... He had just used the D word, after all. She stuttered helplessly.

"D-date? Where d-did that come from all of a sudden...?"

"Where?" he seemed to ponder that for a moment, looking off to the side before glancing back to her. "We've done it before, haven't we... Amu? Besides..."

She blushed, looking down from his intense eyes. _What was he going to say?_

"...You can't really say no, now that we are already here, right?"

Amu blinked, her composure returning along with her embarrassment in a rush. She puffed her cheeks cutely, her brows furrowing in irritation.

"Ikuto! You're the one that led me here!"

He smirked, leaning down to peck her on the forehead. "Yay, I tricked you again..."

Amu steamed in embarrassed anger, but he led her to the ticket booths anyway, a chuckle vibrating in his chest.

Ikuto purchased them both day passes, even though it would only be a few hours at max that they would be able to stay. This way, he could be certain that they would be able to ride anything as many times as they wished.

If it was for her, anything was worth it.

The girl had followed him silently, her irritation slowly wearing off, and before she knew it they had boarded onto one of the many rides and her troubles had melted away like snow. She was laughing and having fun, the world blurring around her in a rush of magical colors and lights. It felt like time was standing still. Like the only thing that existed was the park.

And, for the first time that day, her thoughts were completely clear of her conflicts. It was just the faint music, the rides, Ikuto and her...

_Ikuto... And her._ She blushed.

_Was this really a... A date? _

In many ways, it certainly felt like it.

With a good number of rides out of the way, they slowed to walk through the carnival games and food booths, letting the happy, warm atmosphere into their bones. It was nice, Ikuto had to admit. Coming back here, playing like a kid... It truly nailed it in that he was home. Only this time was even better than his memories...

Ikuto glanced down to Amu, who walked by his side and watched all the sights around her in wonder, his own eyes glimmering in joy. It felt good to be with her like this. And perhaps, in some small way, it could make up for pushing her too far the night before. He sighed.

"Ikuto...?" Amu awoke him from his thoughts.

"Hm?"

She shuffled a bit, digging into her pocket for money and holding it out.

"I have enough for Taiyaki... If you would like some..."

He smiled, shaking his head gently, and reached into his pocket to pull out his own money for her to see. Ikuto spoke softly.

"You don't need to pay for me, Amu... What kind of date would it be if I let you pay?" He smirked, knowing what the word _date_ would do to her.

Surprisingly, he found her not retaliating instantly, and instead she blushed nervously and returned her money to her pocket. She pursed her lips, averting her eyes a bit.

"You know... You don't have to be so traditional, I-ikuto..." She muttered bashfully. "You... You really are strange."

Ikuto rose a brow.

"Ah, so I'm too old fashioned?"

Amu stuck her tongue out at him, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

Ikuto's hand moved quicker than she could have anticipated, gently taking hold of her chin while he leant down to her level, his lips only inches from hers. She squeaked, sucking her tongue back into her mouth with a gasp, golden eyes wide and nearly crossing from trying to stare into his. He murmured.

"Careful, _Amu_..." he purred. "Or the cat will get your tongue."

He smirked triumphantly while she stumbled back from him, pointing her finger accusingly and him and stuttering nervously.

_Her tongue...?_

"I-ikuto," her shout echoed through the park. "You are such a pervert!"

Somehow, after her fuming and stammering, she had wound up sitting next to Ikuto on a bench. Taiyaki sitting warm, and soothing in her hands. She glanced around, her settings trickling into her consciousness and she blinked in confusion.

"Heh? How did I get here so suddenly...?"

Her four characters sweatdropped, their shoulders drooping as they looked over their owner in destain. She was hopeless.

"She got swept up in Ikuto's plans again..." Miki muttered to the others, earning a nod from them.

Amu looked over to Ikuto, the way he calmly stared out at the darkness of the sky as the colorful lights danced below from the park, his own night dark eyes glittering with starlight. In his hand was a half-eaten Taiyaki, and he rose it elegantly to take another bite, chewing it thoroughly. Amu blinked away from him, realizing how creepy she was being by staring at him. She blushed.

Suddenly, a thought came back to Amu, and she found herself shyly speaking up without thinking.

"I-ikuto... Why did you really come back to Japan..?" She mumbled.

He finished chewing the last of his Taiyaki, keeping his eyes on the fountain in front of them as he spoke.

"Utau's birthday is next week..."

Her heart sank a bit, though she did not want admit why. Amu bit her lip, keeping her own sights on her hands now. She faltered, feeling moisture well up in her eyes.

_So... It was true then._

Amu's voice softly whispered, the hurt nearly showing through.

"So, yesterday when you came to the bookshop... That was-"

"Fate."

She heard him shift a bit, and her eyes shot up to look at him. He had scooted closer to her on the bench, taking her smaller hand into his, and making her heart skip a beat with how intense his sights had become. She waited nervously.

_What was Ikuto doing...?_

Ikuto leaned in closer, his expression serious, and this time he did not pull any sort of romantic tease. He just held her there in his gaze, until he finally spoke up again and shattered her composure.

"Amu... I missed you."

She felt a tear sliding down her cheek and it took her more than a few moments to realizing that the moisture meant she was crying.

"I-i... I missed you too, Ikuto."

And she had. She missed his weirdness, the free time he took up, his jokes and teasing, his smiles and laughs, how serious he could be and all the troubles he had let her help him with. She had missed it all, even when she never thought she would. Ikuto was her best friend.

And Amu had missed him, a lot.

Ikuto smiled, snaking his long arms around her and pulling her closer in a hug, letting her cry. His heart having skipped a beat. He knew Amu was confused about a lot of things, about what to feel near him, and he knew that a lot of that could be resolved if only he were able to wholly tell her his own feelings. Even still, it was beyond relieving to hear that she had truly missed him back.

One day, when she was ready to hear it, he would make his true confession. Not as a boy to a girl, but as a man to a woman. He breathed.

It could take a while, but he was willing to wait if she was.

Once things had cooled a bit, Amu's tears drying up and Yoru finished her untouched Taiyaki, they began their quiet walk back to her home.

The air was brisk, chilled without the sun to warm it, and Amu shivered a bit in the breeze having only her school jacket to keep her warm. Ikuto's night dark eyes slid to look at her, practically seeing her teeth chatter, and he reached to unzip the sweat jacket he wore. He pulled it from his shoulders, gently holding it out to her, and making her blush.

She raised her hand to wave it off in refusal, but he wrapped it around her before she could protest. The warmth was pleasant, she smiled, and his jacket smelt like...

Well, it smelt like Ikuto. Which, was a little difficult to describe, but comforting all the same.

She made a soft sound in her throat as she pulled the coat tighter around her, bringing it up so she could nuzzle her face into it.

"Thank you... Ikuto," she murmured. "It smells really good, for some reason..."

He smirked, chuckling beside her. "Are you sure you aren't a smell pervert, Amu?"

She reddened, pulling the jacket away from her face and grumbling. "Okay, maybe it doesn't smell good at all..." Amu pouted.

Her voice drifted off into the silence, and after a few awkward moments of listening to her heart pound, she finally spoke up to break the quiet. Her wide golden eyes looking to the ground nervously, watching the sidewalk pass under her, rather than face his eyes. She wouldn't be able to talk if she looked at him. She sighed.

"I-ikuto... What did you do all day? You didn't just interrogate my boss and wait for me to get off school, did you?" she mumbled.

Ikuto sighed as if he were exhausted, raising his arms to rest his hands behind his head lazily.

"Ne, you're right..." he yawned. "I went to go see Utau, but she wasn't in, so I ended up speaking with Sanjo-san."

Amu lifted her eyes to watch him, her blush faint. _So he hadn't gotten to see Utau yet? _

_...And instead of looking for her, he was here._

Amu's blush heated tenfold, and she tucked herself away in his jacket to hide while he continued speaking.

"... She and I decided that it would be best if I just showed up to meet them right before we leave for vacation. That way Utau won't forgo her preparations to come see me."

She nodded, her eyes lowering again. _So, was Ikuto leaving again...? It felt like he had just gotten back._

"Vacation...?" she slowly muttered in question.

"She's going to Okinawa for a little get away... Easter has a resort there, so our names should get us in for free... At least, that's what Sanjo seems to think."-_"No one can say no to my Utau-chan!"_ Ikuto rolled his eyes at the memory of the spastic woman.

"...Ne, actually," he turned to Amu, lowering his arms and sliding his hands into his pockets. "I'm surprised that she didn't mention it to you yet."

Amu was about to agree, until her thoughts slid back to a conversation she had had with the teen idol months ago over ramen. She had mentioned something about a beach in Okinawa, but Amu had only half-listened while she watched in fear at how much raman one tiny girl could eat. She could have eaten Amu's arm off if the younger girl had gotten in her way. Amu shivered.

_Scary..._

She glanced to Ikuto, mumbling. "Actually... I think she did. She wanted me to go with her... But, I could never afford something like that..." Amu sighed in defeat.

Ikuto's heart jumped in his chest.

_So, Utau had wanted Amu there...?_ A flame of hope lit in his core. Maybe, he could make that birthday wish a reality. If not for Utau, then for his own selfish needs to keep Amu with him. But, he could only make it work if he spoke with her parents for permission- and if she wanted to go with him, that was.

Ikuto cleared his throat.

"Ne, Amu... Would you like to escape with me?" His eyes met hers intensely.

She swallowed, her heart skipping a beat. What was he asking now?

"Wh-what do you mean, Ikuto..?"

Before he could answer, they had already made it to the sidewalk in front of her house, and the front door opened to reveal her mother as if she had been waiting for them. Midori stepped out onto the porch, a smile on her face despite the fact that Amu was already panicking for an excuse for how late she was getting home. Amu blanched.

Something was off.

She could feel it.

Almost immediately her thoughts went to Ikuto, and the sly smile he was now wearing, eyes trained on her mother. What had he done?

"Ah, Amu-chan, Ikuto-kun, you're back! How was the date~?" her mother put a hand to her cheek as if it were the cutest thing she'd pondered.

Amu's jaw went slack. Ikuto had definitely done something.

Without answering her mother's question, Amu took hold of Ikuto's wrist and yanked him through the door, speeding past Midori while she kicked her shoes off. With Amu as propulsion, they raced through the living space and up the staircase in a whir, running into Amu's room where she slammed the door shut behind them.

Ikuto pulled his wrist free of her hold, rubbing it gingerly as he complained.

"Ne, Amu, what the hell was that?"

Amu stood in the middle of her room, her back to Ikuto as she shook slightly. Finally, she turned to Ikuto with an expression so grave and out of place it had him raising a brow in confusion.

"What, Amu?"

"Did you tell my parent's you were taking me on a... On a d-date?" she stuttered, her expression still creased in worry.

Ikuto was about to answer her question, when she continued speaking nervously.

"...Or maybe, that wasn't my real Mama and she's been replaced by a clone! Or possessed!" She continued to ramble, now pacing, causing Ikuto to raise a delicate dark brow at her.

_What was she on...?_ He asked himself.

Her characters sweatdropped in unison, sighing while they were at it. Miki muttered hopelessly.

"Amu-chan gets way too caught up in that occult stuff..."

Suu added, "...And she's supposed to be the heroine, desu."

Ikuto sighed again, strolling past her inane path of speculations to seat himself on her bed, turning to stare out the window somberly.

_Amu..._

The truth was, not that Amu would ever hear it but, Ikuto had stopped by the house earlier that day to explain himself after the impromptu sleepover. He had even told her mother about the plans he had for that evening- Thankfully, Tsumugu had been out. Ikuto shivered.

Their talk had, of course, gone over _other_ things on the subject. But, Ikuto would wait to tell Amu about all of that. When she was ready, she would know. He smiled, turning to look at her as she now bickered with her gaurdian characters over something. Her cheeks flushed, and eyes glimmering defiantly while she defended her questionable sanity.

The teen yawned. It had been far too long of a day...

And he had a feeling, it was going to be a much longer night. He smirked.

Not that he would change that for anything.

* * *

Oh Ikuto... You adorable little kitty...

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying it! Please let me know what you think in a review! Thank you, I love you all!


	9. Suspicions

Hello there all! I am back with a little change of pace- don't worry we'll get back to the Amuto soon...

Also, I have more chapters in waiting... I might just be good and post two tonight.

I do not own Shugo Chara!.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 9: Suspicions**

Blonde hair swayed, flowing over her shoulder, as the slim form of a young woman climbed off of the back of a small motorbike. The driver a redheaded teenage boy who waved to her before pulling back out into the street, smiling brightly and leaving her blushing in his wake. She straightened her expression, evening her smoldering eyes. Oh that kid...

He thought he was so cool sometimes... And, there were times like now, that she might just agree.

Utau blushed once more, biting her lip.

_Kukai..._

Utau's heels clicked on the front steps of Yukari's office, her hands digging for her keys in her purse as she stopped in front of the door.

She had been out for most the day, shopping in preparation for the vacation she had planned, before she met up with the Souma boy for ramen. Utau, of course had won their little battle, and Kukai had sworn to avenge himself tomorrow... She sighed happily, not that her stern expression would allude to the feeling.

The lock mechanism gave a click as she turned the key, the weight tumbling, and she pushed the door open a moment to flip her long hair over her shoulder once more, she stepped inside to set her purse down and slide free of her coat.

From within, she could hear Yukari call from her desk pleasantly- more so than normal.

"Utau, you're back! How was Kukai?"

The blonde blushed involuntarily as she entered the workspace, and she turned her head to the side as if to hide it, a slight pout on her lips. Beside her, the devilish character Iru snickered, floating up to imitate a boxer with her fists pumping.

"Utau-chan got that boy real good this time!" she chuckled, her grin mischievous.

Utau pushed her character out of the way with the back of her hand silently, stepping over to take a seat at her own desk. She crossed her legs, resting an elbow on the desktop as she looked over to Yukari.

"My day... Was just fine. How was yours?" Utau spoke indifferently.

Yukari's thoughts paused briefly, eyes trained on the papers in her hands. With the events of meeting with Ikuto earlier that afternoon, just the thought of being around Utau with the secret was a little unnerving. It felt as if a sign rested above her head telling the young idol that the Tsukiyomi boy had been there, even though Yukari knew that little could give that away short of her telling the blonde the truth...

And she could never do that.

She swallowed.

"I'm glad you had a good day, then. I went over the lyric revisions we did last Friday. Everything looks good there. We'll run a demo recording on Thursday before we leave, how does that sound?" The manager spoke, looking up from her desk momentarily, gasping under her breath when she locked sights with Utau.

Her eyes were like stone.

_Oh, please... Don't ask._ Yukari prayed.

The teen idol shifted in her seat, leaning against the backboard and sighing softly. Yukari was acting strangely... More so than she usually did, that was, and for a moment the feeling that something was being kept out of her knowledge nagged at the back of Utau's mind. Like a secret was being kept.

Something... Felt _off_, and she would find out what that was.

The idol cleared her throat with a short cough, training her violet eyes on the older woman.

The manager paused what she was working on, setting the papers aside and met Utau's stare nervously.

Suddenly, Utau spoke up.

"Did anyone stop by today?"

The manager nearly fell from her chair, a jolt of panic hitting her, but she straightened her glasses on the bridge of her nose and spoke as evenly as possible.

"No, it was just me here..." She stood quickly, bringing something from her desk over to Utau, and held it up for her to see. "Look what I printed up for you, though! It's a brochure for all the activities near our resort!... I am sure we can go through this and decide on your day planner for when we are there." She smiled, honestly trying her best to fool the idol.

It seemed to be working.

Utau rose a finely shaped brow at her manager, taking the papers from her hands.

"Can't I just decide when I get there...?"

Yukari stammered, laughing nervously.

"Yes, of course!"

Utau's eyes trailed over the sheet of paper, drawing across the images of lush beaches and scenery available. Her eyes caught on an image of the sunset and a couple curled in each others arms on a beachside wooden recliner. She smiled faintly.

_Kukai..._ She stopped her own thoughts, shaking her head.

_That kid... He was something else._

Yukari smiled a bit, happy to see Utau interested in the upcoming event. She leaned down to look over the page in the idol's well manicured hands as well, placing an arm around the backrest of the chair the girl sat in.

Utau froze, eyes widening.

It was faint... But, she could have sworn she smelt Ikuto's body spray near her. For a moment she thought she must've been imagining things, but when taking a second to clear her head did not clear the scent from her awareness, she blinked through the confusion and turned to Yukari with a suspicious expression.

_She'd know that scent anywhere... _

Her eyes turned accusive, holding Yukari in place.

"Was Ikuto here?"

Yukari could see the desperation and hope glittering behind the harshness of Utau's gaze, and her stomach dropped. What had given her away?

She stammered, pulling back to stand up straight and wave a hand to brush off the notion frantically.

"W-what are you talking about? You know Ikuto-kun has been away for a long time... S-speaking of which, have you texted him lately?" she tried to distract, but Utau was unmoving.

"You smell like his body spray... Why, Yukari-san?"

Yukari's thoughts slid back to the hug she'd given Ikuto as he departed earlier that day, thanking him for returning for her Utau-chan's sake... That couldn't have been enough contact to transfer anything. Unless, Utau was really that attuned to Ikuto... Which wasn't exactly hard to imagine as a possibility. She coughed guiltily, fixing her blazer as if inspecting it for something to cause the scent, laughing nervously.

"Oh, what this? D-don't be silly! Yuu just came over earlier today, he must've been trying a new cologne..." she excused.

"You said no one came over."

Yukari blanched, scrambling to find an excuse.

"I-i... Well you see, I wasn't going to mention it b-because..."

A thought struck the idol, and her expression scrunched at the idea.

"You didn't do anything dangerous with him in here, did you?" Utau's eyes scrutinized, a look of disgust hiding under her coolness. She honestly did not want to know what Nikaidou and her manager had done while she was out...

_Or where, they had done something, for that matter._

Yukari's face lit up light a stoplight, her eyes stricken with embarrassment. She would have refuted what the idol suspected... But that would mean looking for another excuse for her day, or possibly giving up the surprise early. So, with a frazzled look of shame Yukari merely stuttered incoherently and nodded.

_Oh she felt like she could die..._

Utau rose a brow again, a blush of realization settling on her cheeks, and suddenly nothing in the workspace felt holy. She mumbled something, pulling her phone from her pocket before standing and awkwardly stepping past the mortified woman.

"Sanjo-san... I never thought you had _that_ kind of character."

Utau shook her head, walking back to the door and stepping out, leaving the former Easter employee to melt under her humiliation.

She was horrified by what Utau thought now... But, at least she was safe. She sighed.

* * *

Utau went to lean against the balcony railing, her phone secure in her hands.

She sighed.

More than anything, she wanted to text Ikuto, but she knew she'd never hear back from him. He had only called once in the past few months and that was to retrieve Hinamori Amu's number... She bit her lip. She had Kukai now, so being jealous was off of her list of luxuries, but even still...

The thought that Ikuto only wanted to talk to Amu was a little upsetting.

He was in love... Utau breathed dejectedly. He'd never said that to her aloud, but she knew her brother well enough to know when he'd devoted his attention to something. First it was the violin... Now Amu.

She had to hand it to Amu, that girl had an uncanny ability to draw in others around her- especially those who were lost and broken. People like her brother, Utau smiled sadly. He needed that little pink haired girl, that was for sure, but sometimes Utau couldn't help but wish that Ikuto had chosen her to confide in instead over Amu. She was his sister, after all.

Her fingers slid over the keypad a few times, not pressing anything down just yet, as she watched the screen and the empty inbox icon. Ikuto never even bothered to text her, she whimpered.

_What if he was in a region that his phone didn't work in...?_ She reasoned, but her thoughts soon turned. _What if he was hurt and couldn't text!?_

Fueled by her assumption, the girl clicked away at the keypad, opening a new message to her missing brother. Just as her finger clicked in the first character, the device in her hands vibrated softly, and she gasped in shock.

Navigating the menu, she nervously opened the inbox, checking the name next to the "unread" icon.

_Kukai..._

Come to think of it, he had been acting strangely today as well, as if he had seen a ghost or something. She pursed her lips, now certain that both her manager and the Souma boy were hiding something from her. Maybe it was nothing to worry about. Maybe, it had nothing to do with each other- a coincidence even. And maybe, it was some sort of birthday surprise neither wanted to tell her about.

Then again, she had already confirmed what her manager had been hiding... The teen shivered at the thought. The last thing she wanted to think about right now was something dangerous between Yukari and her boyfriend. Utau could feel the blood leave her face.

_Disgusting..._

Shaking the thought from her mind, she breathed, opening the message from Kukai.

_Are you sure it's alright_

_if I go with you this_

_weekend?_

_- Souma Kukai_

Utau smiled, her eyes sliding to look back at the door to the office. Unfortunately, as unnerving as it was to be in that space now, she would have to go back in to ask Yukari if preparation could be made for the boy. She blushed.

She may not have had Ikuto with her, but at least she would not be alone.

* * *

Hmmm, I think I will be good and post another. I think we need the Amuto now, hm?

Anyway, thank you for reading! Please, let me know how I am doing in a review!


	10. Feelings

And, tah-dah!

I don't own Shugo Chara!.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 10: Feelings**

It was the third night now, that Ikuto would be staying with them, and it was hard for Midori to believe how normal it had come to feel with the teen in the house so soon. Well- normal for all except her husband. The woman glanced over with a sheepish expression, as Tsumugu chewed desperately on a pillow. It was all he could do to keep from melting down.

She sighed.

After yesterday, when the Tsukiyomi boy had stopped by to talk to her, most of her nerves on the matter had been settled. Though, she couldn't quite convey the feeling to her poor spouse, it was nice to have certain worries off of her chest. Amu was her baby, after all, and letting her go to any boy was a difficult step to make. The woman smiled, looking over at the pair who sat on the floor in front of the TV, arguing over the movie like kids do.

They were in love, she had realized- perhaps even before they were completely aware of it themselves. She chuckled to herself. Ikuto seemed to know, but Amu was just as clueless as ever. Midori grinned inwardly.

He had stopped by early the prior day, just before lunchtime, and asked if they could speak. She blushed at the memory... That boy was so polite. He had explained that he was sorry for not informing them that he would be staying the night the prior evening, and for sleeping in Amu's room, but that he hadn't wanted to wake them. Then he told her that he planned to take Amu to the amusement park after school as a surprise if they would allow him to, which had sparked her question of just _what _Amu was to him. He had blushed, growing silent.

The boy had looked so guilty, his eyes averted, until he finally looked up to meet her question. He spoke softly, nervously but honestly. He told her that betraying her or her husband's trust was the last thing he ever wanted to do, that he valued the type of family Amu had- envied it even. Ikuto knew that if it ever came down to him asking Amu choose him over her family, he would sooner die.

She had gasped, listening to him patiently.

He told her that for a time he tried to stay away from her daughter, not to think of her, but as time went on it became impossible for him to not see her. He explained that his homelife had been nightmarish, his sister and he both trying to free themselves from their near abusive stepfather's custody, earning a gasp of shock from Midori. He told her that had been the reason he had secretly stayed with them a year ago, that Amu had helped him escape when no one else could.

Ikuto went on to explain, minus the shugo chara and magical aspects, that Amu had saved his heart from falling into darkness. That she, without worry for herself, had put everything she had into saving him. Midori smiled; that was her Amu-chan...

Always helping others.

In the end, the teen had explained that over the course of getting to know her daughter- getting saved by her- his feelings for the girl had quadrupled in depth. That he, even though he knew it would be difficult for her to accept, had fallen in love with Amu.

That his heart did, and always would, belong to the Hinamori girl.

He finished his explanation, eyes lowered, and waited to be kicked out of the house- out of Amu's life- but much to his surprise when he looked up to her mother...

She was smiling.

She sighed, telling him that she had figured that it was something like that- a mother's intuition for her daughter. Midori told him that as long as he didn't push Amu, and let her make her own decision on rather or not this was what she wanted, he would be allowed to stay in Amu's life. He told her that he had planned to wait forever until Amu would be ready to hear the truth, and Midori had smiled nodding in acceptance.

So long as he was good, so long as he didn't do anything Amu wasn't ready for, Midori knew she could trust him to be around her daughter.

Ikuto had been through a lot, had learned plenty of life lessons...

And she knew he could be trusted.

They were both really good kids.

The woman watched them speaking quietly, as they sat watching the movie the family had chosen, a smile on her lips. They looked cute that way, like she had remembered a first love to feel. Leaning against her husband's side, she breathed happily.

A thought struck her, and she couldn't help but wonder what this meant for the other boys in her Amu's life- especially the Hotori boy. But, she sighed, she supposed that they were their own people and would have to learn to sort out relationships when they were ready.

Kids would be kids.

Ikuto shifted closer to Amu, leaning his back against the front of the couch and letting his long arm wrap around her shoulders. He could feel Midori's eyes on his back, as well as Tsumugu's- granted, they were always on him as it was. Knowing that her mother knew now, before Amu herself even knew, it was a nerve racking feeling. But, Ikuto breathed, she had received it rather well and he would be insane not to honor her request after all that she had given him.

_She had willing given him a chance to be with Amu..._

As it was, Ikuto would already never do anything Amu didn't actually want, and aside from his teasing, he knew he could never put her in a situation she wasn't ready for. It would kill him to know he had hurt her like that.

So following Midori's rules, was no more than an affirmation of the limitations he had set for himself already. He smiled, midnight eyes watching Amu instead of the cheezy children's show the family had chosen.

She squirmed in his hold, turning to look back at him with her cheeks flushed and eyes warning, clear that she did not want to outright yell at him in front of her parents... Or perhaps, Ikuto felt his heart skip a beat, she merely did not want to yell at him at all. He sighed, that was doubt worthy though. It was Amu, after all, and her tendencies to violence with him seemed unshakable.

Despite her silent protest, Ikuto remained where he was, holding her in a friendly embrace until the movie had ended. It wasn't too much of a romantic gesture, something her mother seemed to have no problem with, but it was a luxury he had never thought he'd have in front of her parents. It made his heart leap in joy, the way he finally felt like he was belonging in her life the way he never had before.

Granted, he had been told that he wasn't allowed in her bed again...

But, if it meant keeping her close to him, sleeping on the floor was something he could happily deal with. Maybe...

He smirked.

Her body heat was a little too tempting to pass up sometimes.

Amu moved to stand, pushing his arm off from around her, and turning to her parents. She stretched cutely, her arms above her head, before she spoke.

"Mama, Papa, is it alright if we go to bed now?" Amu asked, yawning a bit, and making Ikuto's heat skip at the term 'we'.

Her mother nodded, in contrast to her father's frantic shaking of his head, and she smiled brightly at them.

"Of course, honey. I told Ikuto-kun I would grab extra blankets for him since it is going to be cold tonight. Do you think you could stop by the linen closet and grab them, Amu-chan?"

Amu nodded, turning to walk down the hall with Ikuto in tow, leaving her father to weep loudly on the couch behind them. She sighed, shaking her head.

He was taking that way too far...

Then again, she glanced at Ikuto, her eyes narrowed as she recalled the feeling of his arm around her. A blush lit her cheeks.

Why had he done that...? And more importantly, why hadn't her parents done anything about it? Granted, she was happy that they hadn't made anything big out of it- well, aside from her father, but that was pretty normal. She wasn't sure how her outer character would hold up under that kind of pressure.

Especially when her inner one was already frazzled by Ikuto being there. Her thoughts slid back to the night before, when he had taken her to the amusement park... On a date. Her face lit up, glowing brighter pink than her hair. She grumbled, pulling the linen closet open and trying to ignore how close the teen was to her.

_How was it that he was throwing her so off track, when he had only just gotten back? _It was like he had stumbled in, whirled her up in his crazy flow again, and rattled everything she thought she knew for certain.

It was just like Taro-san said, he had been there when she needed him, he was a constant on her mind and just seemed to pop up out of the blue like fate had accidentally gotten their threads of destiny tangled. She sighed, turning back to Ikuto.

"H-here..." She mumbled.

Ikuto smiled, taking the fluffy throw blanket from her hands. "Thanks... Amu."

"W-whatever... As long as it keeps you warm and off of my bed." Amu muttered, turning her eyes from him.

"Ne, Amu, what if I don't want to stay off of your bed?"

"Well, too bad, pervert!" her face was like a tomato, and she bit her lip.

Why was thinking about being close like they had that first night making her heart race so fast? She could hardly breathe thinking about it.

It was way too much.

Ikuto shrugged off the name calling, turning with the blanket in his long fingered hands and waited for Amu to follow behind him. They made their way back through the hall, passing by her parents and bid a final goodnight. Stepping up the staircase silently, the two ascended to the upper floor and stepped into Amu's brightly lit room where her characters buzzed around with Yoru, chattering happily.

Ikuto moved soundlessly, pulling the masses of pillows and cushions on her floor into an acceptable nest, grabbing the extra blanket from her closet and adding it to the one they had just gathered downstairs. When he was satisfied with his bedding arrangements, he flopped down onto the plush mess, rolling onto his back lazily and resting his hands behind his head with a yawn.

Amu stood in the middle of her room, unsure of what to do with herself as a bubble of surprise welled in her chest. _He wasn't going to sleep on her bed?_ Her heart beat fast.

It was hard to believe sometimes with all of his teasing, but Ikuto really was a good person...

… When he wanted to be that was.

She blushed.

Why was he listening to her mother, come to think of it?

"I-ikuto... What did you do yesterday?"

He yawned, opening one of his night dark eyes to look over to her. "I told you didn't I, Amu...?"

"No," she paused, trying to strengthen her voice. "I meant... Did you talk to my mother? She's acting differently to you all of a sudden."

She shifted where she was standing, fidgeting a bit while she waited for him to speak. What would she say if he had? Just what would he have told her Mama to make her let him spend the night just like that? And the way her mother looked at the two of them now... It was all way too strange.

"I thought you had worked out why she was acting off, Amu." Ikuto deflected, his eye slipping closed again. "Something about her being possessed...?"

Amu blushed, her brows furrowing. "Ikuto, I'm being serious!"

Admittedly, her rambling the night before was a little insane. But, in her defense, she had had a very long day.

Ikuto paused, holding his silence. He wanted Amu to know the truth, but not like this. It had to be when she was ready to hear it, when she could handle it. If he told her now, he doubted very much that she would believe him nor accept it. He sighed, it would have to wait a little longer.

"Ah, but I'm being serious, too..." his eyes fluttered open to look up to her, sights heavy with emotions that she couldn't begin to read. _What was Ikuto thinking about...?_

She bit her lip, shaking her head. It was clear she wasn't going to get anything more out the teen on this subject. Instead, she walked over to her light-switch, flicking it off before stepping over to her closet wordlessly. She pulled the doors open, looking over her pajama options, before glancing nervously over her shoulder at Ikuto. His eyes were still closed, so...

Her fingers paused at the hem of her shirt, uncertainty filtering through her bones at the same time that the heat from the night before last returned to her belly, settling there and burning through her composure. She felt like her knees were getting weak, tingles running down her form, and she couldn't stop the shiver that ran through her. Her hands still wavered at the edge of her shirt.

Her thoughts had slid back to him offering to let her remove his shirt, and she felt the air leave her lungs in a whoosh. Her blood felt like it was on fire again, and she clenched her fists nervously. What was this feeling...?

_And, why did Ikuto only cause it?_

Did he have something to do with it?

Maybe, she tremored, she was just afraid that he would see her do something foolish. Afraid that he would find her uncool for asking for something she didn't understand. But, then again, she knew what fear felt like, and this was something completely different. Almost...

_Exciting._

She blushed fully, shaking her head, breathing. Amu didn't want to think about it right now.

"I-ikuto, I'm going to change... So, don't look." She told him.

The girl heard a hum vibrate in his chest as he breathed quietly, speaking softly.

"My eyes are closed, Amu."

She nodded, her fingers reaching for the hem of her shirt once more. Quickly, she slid her hands under her shirt to lift it over her head, her fingers pausing as the brushed over the skin of her firm belly. It was hot, she noticed. The tingling sensation returned, and she let out a shaky breath. Maybe something was wrong with her, she bit her lip. She was burning up.

Amu quelled the thoughts for a moment, slipping the rest of her clothing off and changing into her sleepwear quickly. She had thought that wearing the lightweight silk of her nightgown would help cool her skin, but even as the chilly air met her frame and sent a shiver through her, she found that the heat remained. It was strange and unnerving.

She made an uncomfortable sound in her throat, making Ikuto look up once he was sure she had enough time to change.

She stood in the middle of her room, cheeks flushed, with her hands clenched into little fists and her chest rising and falling quicker than normal. Her lips were parted slightly, her little pink tongue darting out to wet them nervously, as she shivered gently and held to her spot unmoving. Ikuto swallowed.

She looked like she was overheating, he noted.

"Amu..." he murmured, drawing her attention down to where he laid on the floor, his eyes glowing in the dark. She breathed.

"I-ikuto... I... I feel _weird,_" she admitted softly.

He lifted himself up on his elbows, turning to look over to her. His hair fell to obscure his eyes, but she knew that they were still on her, their deep glowing depths. She shivered again.

"Are you sick?" he spoke quietly.

She shook her head, her blush so hot she could hardly bear it now. "I-it's different..."

He watched her, "Different how?"

Amu shuffled where she stood now, wrapping an arm nervously around her center.

"I feel like I have a fever... Only not just my head, but everywhere..." she stammered. "I thought that wearing something cool would help, but it didn't change. My skin is still hot."

"Amu," Ikuto spoke in concern, his eyes peeking through his dark forelocks. "You could still be sick... A fever doesn't only affect your head, you know. Let me check." he told her.

Hesitantly, Amu padded over to his nest of cushions, kneeling down beside him. She flinched a bit as his cold palm met her forehead, pushing her hair out of her eyes. She bit her lip nervously.

"I guess, you feel a little warm..." She really didn't though, he thought. She was flushed as if she was on fire, but really she felt maybe only slightly hotter than her body temperature ever was.

_Kids have higher body temperatures..._ He remembered.

"When did you start feeling like this...?" Ikuto wondered aloud.

She blushed hotter. "W-when I am with you."

A bolt of realization shot through him, a heat welling in his chest and setting his own skin on fire. _She couldn't be..._ He wet his lips anxiously.

"Only... With _me_?"

She nodded.

Ikuto felt a flood of different emotions rush through him, and he found himself reaching out to her, pulling her down onto his nest of pillows. She squeaked as he pressed her against his chest, arms wrapping around her in a tight hug. He wished he could have just held her like that forever, let the warmth tingle through him that made his heart skip, but she began to squirm and pushed back enough to look into his eyes. She huffed.

"I-ikuto!... Stop that, I'm too hot for you to hang onto me, you pervert..." she whined.

He smirked, letting her push back to just lie beside him. Ikuto, no matter how badly he wanted to act on his feelings- the heat in his body, he would not force her to do anything she didn't want to do. He had promised her mother, after all. And that thought alone was enough to put a leash on himself.

Amu wasn't ready yet, at least, he didn't think she was.

_But these new feelings she had..._ He swallowed nervously, blinking the thought away.

He would not go back on her mother's trust. Even if she had told him he couldn't lay in bed with Amu anymore... He looked over the way Amu and he now lay, facing each other. He smirked.

Then again... This wasn't _exactly_ a _bed_, per say.

"I-ikuto..." Amu murmured, looking into his eyes.

"Hn?"

"Why do you do that, anyway...? It's totally catlike, actually..." she muttered.

"What is?" he asked.

"That... The way you _cuddle_."

He smirked, feeling a blush spread across his skin, and he closed his eyes to fake a lax yawn. "Because..." he told her, "I'm a cat."

She poked his side, making his eyes flutter open once more.

"No you're not!" Amu giggled softly, shaking her head. "Why do you really do it...?"

He thought about telling her the truth, but he brushed it off again. It had to wait, it had to be right. He couldn't just go making his confession because he was a little... Hot, tonight. Ikuto sighed, rolling a bit and draping an arm over her side. He smirked again.

"Because you left me alone all day while you were at school," he began, making her blush. "...And then you left me while you were at work. I couldn't help it..."

Amu blushed as he leaned closer, nuzzling his nose to her hair. She pushed him back a bit and looked into his eyes as he spoke.

"...I'm starting to become like you, Amu... I can't live without your scent."

Her blush ignited as she processed what he meant by, _"...starting to become like you..."_, and her brows furrowed in embarrassment.

"Ikuto! I am not a scent pervert!"

"Ah, you have yet to prove that, though." Ikuto smiled a catlike grin, clearly proud of the response he had gotten out of her.

The girl frowned, pulling herself up from his makeshift bed, and stomped over to her own, climbing under the covers angrily.

The teen smirked in her wake, despite the slight disappointment of losing her closeness, but he knew he best stick to the rules her mother had laid down. He was not to sleep with Amu, and he wouldn't break that promise... Just yet, anyway.

He knew he could have taken the evening an entirely different direction, could have fulfilled his own needs, but if he had he could've faced Amu hating him... Fearing him, even. He breathed. He couldn't do that, he couldn't tell her until he was sure it was something she wanted.

But he could ask her to go with him this weekend, he smiled.

"Ne, Amu...?"

But, Amu had already fallen asleep, safely tucked under her blankets. He smiled softly, rolling over to curl up on his own bed.

Ah well, it could wait till tomorrow, he supposed.

* * *

_Hooray for awkward teenage hormones, right?_

Again, please feel free to tell me how I am doing! Thank you for reading!


	11. Touching

How about something a little fluffy for Valentines day, hm?

Enjoy!

I do not own Shugo Chara!.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 11: Touching**

Amu awoke expecting light to flood through her sleepy mind, only to find that out the window held only the faintest of the sun's glow peeking over the horizon, just barely tinting the darkness of night with a soft purple near its edge. It had not even risen yet.

The girl groaned, knowing that she had awoken at least an hour or so before she truly needed to. After the night she had had, sleep was something she had been looking forward to- that was, after the heat in her chest had died down. She had curled under her blankets, forcing the thought of Ikuto's eyes from her mind, and resigned to sleeping thought and dreamlessly. Only to awake what felt like only mere minutes from when her tired eyes had shut. Amu sighed, rolling onto her back to stare at the ceiling.

She could hear Ikuto breathing softly from his bed on the floor, and for a moment, the memory of the feeling he had given her rushed back to make her heart skip. She breathed, trying to calm her nerves. She hadn't wanted to believe it before; the time in each other's company had changed in taste.

It was different now, being in the same room with him... With a _boy_. Though, Amu wasn't really sure why. They had spent time together before, had slept in the same bed- no matter how much she had protested against it- and even when back then it had caused a bit of a rush, it was nothing like this new feeling. This new feeling was nerve racking, it was hot and made her heart pound until she could hear it in her ears.

Amu squeezed her golden eyes shut, rolling back over to cocoon herself in her covers. She didn't want to think about it, at this rate it would keep her up until she had to go to school. She could feel the heat welling in her cheeks, and she knew without needing a mirror that she was blushing again. She sighed, tucking the blankets tighter.

Ikuto had seemed to know what was wrong with her, but his usual teasing had silenced any thoughts she had to ask him about it. His eyes, the way they widened at her words, the faint pink that touched his cheeks before he pulled her to him. She blushed. There was definitely something there. But, how did she ask when she wasn't even sure what to call it.

It felt like some sort of strange pressure, a heat in her heart that made her stomach flutter and her pulse race a million miles a minute. Like something had come over her, a curse or a spell maybe...

_Like magic_.

She sucked in a ragged breath, curling tighter into herself. What was this...? Why was it so much... So sudden?

"_Love is kinda like magic. You just have to believe in it..."_

Her wide depths shot open, a gasp falling from her lips. Taro-san's words.. they were there again, matching up to Ikuto just like always. She bit her lip, taking in the meaning. Did that mean...

Did that mean she could really be in love with Ikuto...?

_In love..._

It seemed like so much, too much even, and she felt like fate was perhaps moving a bit too quickly for her heart to catch up. How was she suppose to know for sure, how was she going to make sure she made the right choice?

Tadase... Or Ikuto?

Amu whimpered, pulling her pillow from under her head to bury her face beneath it. It was impossible, her heart was too confused. If she wasn't careful, her personality would just tear in half. Her outer character would follow after Tadase, her prince, and her inner character would cling to this terrifying new feeling that Ikuto gave her. That heat, the warmth in her heart...

But, if Tadase only had her outer half, what would that really leave him? Could he be satisfied knowing the person she only created for image sake? She made a sound of desperation. The feeling of moisture was already building in her coin like depths, and she pressed the pillow tighter over her face as if she could hide it from herself. Hurting someone like that... Hurting Tadase again... She couldn't do it.

But, what Nagihiko had told her...

If you cared about someone, sometimes keeping secrets from them- even if it was to protect them- only hurt them more. She had kept Ikuto a secret the first time, and it had crushed the blonde boy. She bit her lip. Amu couldn't bear to hurt someone like that again. But, what did that mean she should do? Tell Tadase...?

She didn't even know what to tell him. That Ikuto was back and was staying with her, that he was slowly carving out more space for himself in her heart, that he made her heart flutter and her body tingle... That it might just be _love_? Amu whimpered again, feeling the tears spilling against her pillow and wetting the fabric. She couldn't do this... It was just too much. Too sudden.

How was her heart suppose to keep up...?

Or maybe, it was her that needed to catch up to her heart.

The mattress pressed down next to her, sinking as weight was applied to it. Amu froze, trying her best to calm her breathing and stop her tears before she pulled back the covers to see who it was. Granted... She knew who it was, already.

Her wide golden eyes peered over the edge of her blanket, a gasp falling from her lips, as her sights met the intense night dark pools of her catlike companion. Their depths glittered in the dark like stars. She sucked in a breath, her voice coming out weakly over her trembling lips.

"I-ikuto..."

He remained silent for a moment, watching her with his expression even and unchanging. So much emotion in his eyes that Amu couldn't begin to read it. His torso rested across her bed, knees still on the floor, and his chin braced gently on his folded arms. He breathed slowly, staring into her eyes and holding her with his sights, before he spoke softly.

"Why are you crying?" Ikuto asked simply, making her shrink back a bit.

On one hand, she wanted to tell him what was going on in her heart, but on the other she was terrified of him thinking she was crazy if she tried to explain it. That her character was splitting down the middle. That he was the one who had won her inner character. That maybe... Just maybe, he had succeeded in making her love him. She blushed hotly.

No matter how much she wanted those words to come out, for him to understand and explain what it all meant, her inner character- which was exposed and raw- was much too weak to form the words. She couldn't say it. Not yet... Not when she was so unsure.

She wet her lips, lying as best as she could. "I... I had a bad dream," she fibbed.

Ikuto watched her quietly, seeming to swallow the words slowly and process them. Concern filled his eyes, his unchanged expression soft. He whispered.

"About what?"

Amu bit her lip, not sure if she could make up something believable. Her golden eyes watered once more, and she lowered her sights from his, choosing to stare at his mouth instead so she could breathe again.

"I..." she began, trembling. "I dreamt that I was being pulled in two down the middle, and I couldn't stop it from happening..." It wasn't entirely a lie. She breathed.

Ikuto blinked slowly, thinking for a moment, before he whispered again and drew her eyes back to his own.

"You don't have to worry about that really happening..." he said.

Amu's brows furrowed, the water in her eyes spilling down her cheek in a single tear. She trembled. How could he just say that...? He didn't even know what kind of struggle she faced out here in the real world. She was really being pulled apart... And it was because of him.

"W-why...? How can you know that?" Amu questioned.

"Because... I'll hold you together."

She gasped.

Ikuto would hold her together...?

Would he really, if he knew what it was that was pulling her heart apart? Could he tell her if this feeling was love or not...?

Before she could ask the millions of questions swirling in her head, the doorknob to her bedroom began to rattle as it was turned from the outside. Her eyes widened, and Ikuto dove gracefully back to his bed of cushions on the floor, just as the door was pushed open. Amu pulled her pink covers up over her head, hiding her tears from whoever had just walked in.

Amu held her breath.

Midori blinked in the darkness, surprised that noone was up and moving like she had thought she would find. She glanced from Ikuto's sleeping form on the floor, smiling faintly at the boy as she did, to the bundle of blankets that was Amu curled safely in her bed. The woman scratched her head a bit, turning to walk out while muttering something along the lines of, '_I thought I heard whispering...' _and _'...must've been my imagination'._

The door shut softly with a click, and they could hear Midori make her way back down the hall. After a moment of silence, Amu pulled her covers back down, looking up at the ceiling silently. She took a moment to blink away her tears, letting the prior conversation flood through her mind. The girl couldn't expect Ikuto to read her mind, nor could she expect him to make the decision for her. But, she smiled faintly at the roof above her, the fact that he was willing to try to hold her together was enough to prove how good of a friend he was.

_Ikuto really was like her best friend..._

Making the choice was her duty, but knowing that Ikuto would be there if she needed him...

It was relieving, to say the least.

Amu would think about it more, and then, the choice would be hers to make. She couldn't lie to Tadase this time. Granted, she knew the choice wasn't going to be any easier...

"Ikuto..."

"Hm?" he thrummed from his place on the floor.

"...Thank you."

Ikuto smiled, though she couldn't see it. He didn't know if what he had said was really going to make much of a difference, but he had meant it from the bottom of his heart. If she felt like she was splitting apart, he would embrace her and hold her together. Because, even if she didn't remember it, that was exactly what she had done for him when he was lost to Death Rebel. His heart had cracked open down the center, and she had held him together, pulled at his heartstrings until the stitches were pulled taught and mended. After all that, the least he could do was do the same for her.

Because, he loved her, even if she wasn't ready to truly hear that just yet. He smirked. Oh, his little Amu...

_His little love._

"You don't have to thank me, Amu..." he began softly, tugging at her heart. "...With as much of a mess you can be, someone has to do it." Ikuto deadpanned.

The tension and heaviness of the situation had been killing him. He yawned.

Amu's cheeks puffed in irritation, reddening as she huffed and rolled over to face the wall.

"Nevermind what I said! Maybe, I don't need your help!" she whispered harshly.

But, that wasn't the truth...She needed him, even when she didn't know that she did. Just like Taro-san had said. Everything he had said, actually. Amu smiled, she had a feeling he was going to be a great romance writer one day. Because so far, his idea of true love, had yet to be wrong. She blushed.

Their moment of silence eventually melted into a continuum of silence, as both occupants of the room had fallen back asleep soundlessly, curled on their own beds- or non-bed in Ikuto's case. And before long, the sun had fully risen above the horizon, painting the morning sky pink and soft yellow, lighting up the small room with buttery beams of light. The morning had finally arrived, and Amu's alarm clock was the first to notice. She groaned.

The loud ringing was enough to drive the girl mad. Without opening her eyes to the bright light, her hand searched the bedside table blindly, slapping down on the surface over and over. Finally, after smashing down on the poor furniture, she had found the annoying object, and silenced it with a pounding on the 'snooze' button.

She rolled over, pulling her blankets up to her chin and burrowing in the warmth. Blankets were so nice, soft and warm... It would be miserable, she thought, to live without them. Like sleeping on the ground, cold and hard. Amu couldn't even begin to imagine what that would be like. Without a bed, she would go insane from lack of sleep.

She wondered how Ikuto ever did it...

Rolling to the side of her mattress, the girl peered down to the sleeping boy. He didn't seem like he would be cold now, curled up in his own mess of blankets and nestled into the pad of cushions he had amassed. He looked really cozy, actually. Amu blushed.

When he was asleep like that, he looked so much younger, like a kid her age maybe. Perhaps it was the way his expression was smoothed out, or that his infinitely deep eyes were shut, and the look of maturity they brought with their sights was closed off. Whatever it was, it made her heart beat to see him like that. So soft, gentle... Innocent looking.

She sighed. It could almost fool her, if she wasn't careful.

She knew how cunning that boy could be. That he could always make a situation go his way if he tried, and for a moment, she couldn't help but wonder how he did that to begin with. He could make her fall into any situation he wanted...

Even _love_. She blushed.

Well, maybe. She hadn't decided yet.

With a tired yawn, the girl pulled herself from her bed, tiptoeing over to the teen and kneeling down beside him. She thought about waking him, about watching his eyes flutter open, but when she looked over his perfectly calm face she couldn't bring herself to rouse him. He looked so content... So _pretty_. She bit her lip.

Amu had no idea how long she just sat and stared at Ikuto like that, it couldn't have been too long, but her knees had begun to hurt how they were folded beneath her. She shifted a little taking her eyes off the sleeping teen for only a moment, but when she looked back up to him she nearly jumped out of her skin. His night dark eyes were open, staring at her through pools of starlight.

_He was awake..._

She scrambled backwards a few paces on her bottom, stammering incoherently.

He blinked once, trying to hold the smirk from tugging at his lips.

"You know," he told her, "...Only perverts sit and watch someone while they're sleeping like that, Amu."

Her mind sputtered, face lit like a stoplight. "Th-they do not! And, I'm not a pervert!" she defended.

He chuckled, the smirk breaking forth now. "You're cute, Amu."

The girl blushed, her voice reduced to quiet muttering as she lowered her eyes in embarrassment. Why did he do that...?

She watched his eyes nervously, gasping at the intensity they had as they glimmered in mirth. He was so pretty... Prettier than Tadase and Tsukasa, even. Like his skin was made out of some precious, smooth stone. Sculpted and shaped so perfectly. The girl couldn't help but wonder if it felt as soft as it looked... Amu bit her lip, carefully scooching back over to where he laid one small pace at a time, her movements hesitant.

Amu was less thinking, and more acting on a simple child's curiosity.

Ikuto kept his sights on her, curious to see what she was doing, half wondering if she would hit him for his comments now. But she didn't do anything, merely drew closer, and continued to stare into his eyes like she was testing something in her thoughts. He waited, patient to see if she would do anything else. His heart pounded in his chest.

_Amu..._

She sat there quietly, nervously chewing on her bottom lip, for what seemed like forever. Until, slowly, her hand lifted and she gently let her fingers touch his cheek. His eyes widened, heart skipping a beat. He didn't know why, but for some reason, she had felt the need to touch him. It was like a bolt of electricity shot through his veins, like just her gentle feather's touch had awoken his soul. He breathed.

If she wanted to, she could touch him all she liked. He breathed shakily.

Her fingers slid down his cheek, tracing his jawline as softly as a snowflake's touch, making his heart thunder in his chest. The tips of her small forefinger and middle swooped up his angled chin gently, pausing just before touching the very edge of his lower lip. Her eyes followed each path she traced, a soft gasp falling from her lips as her fingers nearly met his own.

It was so strange, feeling a boy like this... Feeling _Ikuto_, like this. It was the first time she had ever been so openly curious, the first time she had let her touch become so... personal, with a boy. With Tadase, she was afraid to reach out for fear that he would be startled or violated by her sudden closeness. She had always let him be the one to take her hand... The one to reach out to her. But with Ikuto... Her inner character was open, her curiosity was bared in shameless display. She was the one reaching out now.

...And he was allowing it. She breathed nervously.

His dark eyes fluttered shut, lips parting slightly as her fingers resumed tracing the other side of his face, trailing up his jawline and moving across his forehead to brush his dark hair from his eyes. His skin was so soft, she breathed in wonder, as was his hair which was smooth and dark like a black cat's fur. The silken strands dusted against his cheeks as her fingers slid along his temple, and she gently tucked the soft fur like hair behind his sensitive ear, making him whimper slightly. She paused, hearing his sound, her fingers stilling and causing his eyes to flutter open once more.

"Ikuto... Are you...?"

"It's alright, Amu..." he spoke, closing his eyes once more and leaning his cheek gently into her palm.

Amu bit her lip gently, nodding though he couldn't see it. She didn't know why she was doing what she was doing, nor why he was letting her, but the closeness she felt to him was making that heat well in her chest again- her heart pounding like a drum. Why was it only Ikuto that caused that feeling?

_Why Ikuto...?_

Amu's fingers trembled, sliding feather soft across his cheek, and freezing in their movements when he nuzzled into her touch again like a cat might. She smiled faintly, her heart still thundering. Ikuto was a lot like his cat character suggested.

The teen made a contented sound in his throat, one not unlike a feline's purr, and Amu nearly giggled. It felt so good, Ikuto breathed, to know that Amu wanted to be this close to him. He wasn't sure what sparked the sudden connection, but he'd have to be crazy to ask her to stop. Ikuto kept his starlit eyes closed, focusing on the feeling of her timid touch, fighting the urge to gasp aloud when her fingers gently reached the edge of his lips again. Each stroke sent a wave of warmth to spread through his body, settling in his heart. It felt like nothing he'd ever felt before...

And yet, it was something so simple as a touch to his face.

Nothing that he would have usually been so worked up to.

_He could almost..._

They both flinched as the doorknob turned, and Amu scrambled backward from the teen just as her mother stepped through the door. Amu looked a bit like she had been caught in the act of murdering someone, and Ikuto swore he had to swallow his heart down to keep it from jumping out of his chest. They both held their breath.

Midori looked over them, sweatdropping at the odd expressions she was receiving. She got the distinct feeling that she wasn't appreciated in the room right now, she grinned sheepishly, waving her hand apologetically. She still wasn't sure what she had walked in on, but she brushed it off as a conversation they hadn't wanted her to hear.

_Ikuto was a good boy... She could trust him._ Midori placed a hand over her heart in thought

"Amu-chan, you need to get up for school. Breakfast is almost done, so why don't you two get ready and come have some before it gets too late again." She told them with a smile.

The two kids nodded, and she left the room with a pleasant hum beginning. After an odd moment of silence, Ikuto glanced back at Amu, who seemed to be doing the same to him. They stared, wordlessly and still.

After a few ticks though, a smile found Ikuto's lips, and he stared into her wide golden eyes with an all too embarrassing amount of knowing in his depths. The unspoken phrase of, _'Did you have fun touching me?'_ ... Or at least, that was how she read it. She gulped.

Slowly, as if the indicator of a thermometer, she could feel the redness rising in her skin. Until eventually, the burst of heat hit her in full, and her frazzled mind sputtered to a stop. Amu had squirmed back toward her closet when he mother had come in, and now she slumped against it stiffly. She could hardly feel her appendages anymore, and for a moment she wondered if someone could be killed by humiliation.

After what seemed like forever to her, but in reality only few seconds had passed, the girl's thought process smacked her in the face and awoke her to the realization of what she had just done. Her heart pounded, her eyes hesitantly straying to her treacherous hands, as if she could will them to detach from her. Her eyes widened for an instant before she squeezed them shut and frantically began to wipe her "tainted" hands off on her legs. What had she done?

_She had just... pet, Ikuto. Like he was a cat... No, it was more like..._

_...She had lovingly stroked his face. Like in one of those way too cheesy love stories!_

She stammered, "N-no, no, no, no!"

Amu continued to flail helplessly in her own little world of madness, making Ikuto roll his eyes, until her mother called up the stairs again, warning her that she was almost out of time. Frantically. the girl had scampered to her closet, gathered her uniform and scurried off to the bathroom to change. She rushed back in like a blur, ran a brush through her rose colored hair, and scooped up her bag and egg holster, before grabbing Ikuto by the wrist and dragging him down the stairs while ignoring his protests.

The morning had gone so fast after that, he sighed. He hadn't gotten to ask her about the weekend yet, and he was beginning to worry. The flight left tomorrow evening, and he was running out of time. He breathed to himself, now lying on her bed as she had left to school...

He would have to ask tonight.

* * *

Well, how was that? I hope you liked it!

Please, feel free to let me know how I am doing or what you think of the story so far! Thank you, as always!


	12. X Egg!

I hope you guys are still reading and enjoying this, it has been fun to write for sure.

I do not own Shugo Chara!.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 12: X Egg!**

Amu sat at her desk, fingers absently tracing shapes on her paper as she waited for class to start, her eyes lowered and blush tinged her cheeks.

There was just way too much on her mind.

What had happened last night, and then this morning with Ikuto... It was all way too much. Just thinking about it caused her heart to skip and that heat to rush through her veins. She had done so much in such a short amount of time... It was only the fourth day that the teen had been here, and already, she was completely wrapped up in his flow. She sighed, laying her head down on her desktop, ignoring the words of concern from her guardians. She didn't want to be thinking about this.

She didn't want to feel so...

Amu bit her lip. She didn't know _what_ it was that she was feeling now.

With Ikuto, everything was so much more, so much heavier, yet it made her heart feel so much lighter. Like it wanted to fly away out of her little chest. He made a heat well in her heart that she had never felt before. It was more than the giddiness of a crush, it was electric and exciting, all the while being terrifying and new.

Last night had been so much... So crazy, she breathed.

And this morning...

Her face lit up brightly, glowing brighter pink than her strawberry hair. She bit her lip nervously, slamming her hand down on her desk desperately.

"Ugh... Why did I do something so... So totally dangerous!? It's completely out of my character!" She wailed helplessly. Her eyes watered, glimmering with moisture.

She was so confused.

It just felt so...

"_Impossible..."_

She froze. Where had that voice come from? _It had sounded like a..._

_...An X egg!_

Her eyes shot wide as she glanced to the window, where the form of a blackened egg drifted by, a grim white X over its surface. It had been so long since they had had to take care of an X egg she almost thought she wouldn't know what to do at the sight of it, but the moment her eyes met with the little floating object, all of the same adrenaline came rushing back to her like a tidal wave. She could feel the Humpty Lock hanging heavy on her neck, the way her heart reached out to it.

Thoughtlessly, she rose her hand, startling the homeroom teacher who was just setting her lesson plan up in white chalk across the blackboard. Amu frantically spoke.

"May I go to the bathroom before class starts?"

The woman looked at her in slight confusion over her slanted glasses, before her features turned a bit sternly.

"If you feel like you must, Hinamoni-san."

Amu stood up quickly, her knees bumping against her desk. "I do-"

"I'll walk with her, Ma'am."

Amu's wide golden eyes slid sidelong to look at who had just spoke, a smile meeting her lips as she saw Nagihiko pull himself from his own desk. He nodded to her and they both quickly exited the classroom.

"So, you saw it too, Amu-chan?" he asked once they were out of ear range of the teacher or other students.

Amu nodded, continuing to run down the hall with the Fujisaki boy at her side. They rounded the corner sharply, and she spotted the forms of Tadase and Rima stepping from their own classrooms at the end of the hall, turning to join their former guardians as the duo ran by. Tadase spoke up.

"Fujisaki-kun, Amu-chan," he nodded to them, pale red eyes alight with his kingly persona.

Passing by the stairs to the upper class floors, the group looked up to see Kukai sliding down the rail toward them rapidly, ready to join their efforts. His shoes met the polished floor with a squeaking scuffling sound as he jumped from the broad railing to the ground. He smirked giving a thumbs up, and picked up his pace to join them, quickly striding out the front doors at their side. They were all here again, Amu smiled, the Seiyo Guardians acting in royal splendor even without the markings of their capes.

_They would have to let Yaya and the others know that they were indebted to the former members for picking up their slack..._ Kukai smiled in mirth.

"Alright! The gang's back in action!" he crowed, pumping his fist in the air.

They gathered at the base of the front steps, glancing around for obvious signs of where the egg had gone. It had seemed to be heading around the schoolyard, but they were fast, and by now it could have drifted anywhere. Amu looked to her guardian characters, eyes fierce and ready.

"Where is it?" she asked.

The little characters took a moment to survey the immediate area, floating back to her side after a minute or so. Miki called back to Amu. "Off that way, it feels like it's behind the school!"

The middle schoolers nodded amongst themselves in understanding, running to round the wide building. As they reached the back courtyard, the kids skidded to a stop, spotting the egg floating just overhead. Amu gasped, it was hovering just above the track of the high school's shared back lot, where the the junior high met senior.

_Could it have belonged to a high schooler...?_

The Hinamori girl took a second's pause to glance at Ran, and reached to pull the Humpty lock from within her own shirt. The cheerleader nodded, readying herself. They would use one-hundred and twenty percent of their heart's power. The girl breathed, holding her hands up.

"Alright-!" Kukai shouted in a cheer, "Go for it, Joker!"

Amu sighed briefly, her hands already squared around her heart. "I'm not the Joker, anymore!" she whined animatedly, steaming with a blush, and earning a laugh from Kukai.

She shook her head, ignoring the giggling of her elder classman behind her, and closed her eyes to focus. Amu wet her lips, flicking her sights open after a moment.

"My heart: Unlock!"

The familiar weight of the Humpty Lock hovered against her heart, the warmth of its bright light surrounding her body and lifting her soul up by ribbons of glittering energy. It wrapped her in its glow, drawing her would-be self into her heart and forming them into one being. When the lights finally settled, the lock firm against her chest, Amulet Heart was left standing where the once ordinary middle schooler had prior. She smiled.

'_Ready, Ran?'_ Amu called within her heart.

'_Ready!'_

With that, the duo took to the air, hovering light as a feather until the X egg was within range. Amu let her energy build, drawing the Heart Rod to her small hand, and readied to capture the lost heart's egg with it. However, before the small weapon could be thrown, a cracking sound could be heard, and she paused.

_It was hatching!_

The dark shell split unevenly, jaggedly breaking in two, and revealing the twisted character within. The X character freed itself from its shell, its high pitched voice cracking in the air. Amu flinched.

"Do you love romance?" It screeched. "...No! I hate romance! I am heartbreaker! "

_Heartbreaker...?_ Amu echoed in her mind. _Why would anyone hate romance...?_

The girl paused. If this character hated romance, that must've meant that its owner originally loved romance... Her heart clenched, skipping a beat. Straining her heart's senses, she tried to listen to the sound of the person behind the X character's soul. Amu froze...

She knew that voice!

"_No one will ever read mushy romance stories... They hate it... And now they hate me!" _A boy's voice cried from within, ringing the bell of familiarity within Amu's mind.

_Taro-san..._

Amu's wide golden eyes glimmered in remorse. This was his heart, but how... Who had broken it? She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps his friend's teasing had gone too far. Or even... If his girlfriend had left him. She swallowed nervously, trying to draw together something to comfort his heart with.

She would need to find all of the things that made his heart good... Made it special.

She bit her lip. Taro-san was a bright, happy soul, she remembered. He loved romance novels, despite what others may have thought about it, and wanted nothing more than to make the world happy with his stories like the stories of others had made him happy. He wanted to help people to see the magic in love. To understand what true love was...

_"...I guess the best way to describe it is, it's someone who is always there when you need them- even if you don't realize you needed them in the first place...Love is kinda like magic. You just have to believe in it, and trust your heart..."_

Those had been his words... His advice to her. Taro-san had wanted to help her understand, her heart skipped once more. He wanted to make her see who was the most important person in her heart. Who she had truly fallen for...

_...And he had._

Amu gasped.

Someone who was always there when she needed them.

Someone special to her heart...

_Someone just like Ikuto_!

His smiles, his laughs, his annoying jokes, his caring nature, his seriousness, his strengths, his weaknesses, and most of all, his ability to always be there to save her. Amu's eyes widened. _He was always there, popping up when she least expected him._

Their threads of destiny weren't just tangled...

...They were _tied._

Everything Taro-san had said, it was true! She had seen it before, but she hadn't wanted to admit that he had been right. She hadn't wanted to confirm in her already confused heart that her love had flip flopped to someone else... Or that, maybe, she had finally just allowed her love to go the right direction. Amu had tried to fight her heart, instead of following it...

She hadn't trusted her heart.

Amu bit her lip, steeling her nerves.

"You're wrong!" she called out to the character, making it stop in its tracks. "You're wrong, Taro-san! People do love romance, they need it, and they need your stories! You help people understand true love-!"

"_No!"_ his heart wailed, making her flinch once more. _"No one cares! I can't help anyone! They don't need my help!"_

Amu clenched her small fists, feeling her strength well in her chest despite the nervousness her admission brought to flutter in her belly.

"Taro-san... What you said about true love, what you told me at the bookshop... I didn't understand it at first. I didn't know how to follow what my heart was telling me, but, as time went on-"

The X character flared, screeching as it released relentless waves of dark energy. Taro cried.

"_No! It didn't help! I don't know how to really help anyone!"_

Amu rose her hands, blocking the barrage with her Heart Rod, and ignored the calls of concern from her friends on the ground. Taro-san had to know that he had helped... More than he may have thought he would.

"Taro-san! You do help people-!" she grit her teeth, struggling against the powerful winds of black energy. "You helped me! You made me understand who it was I really loved! Your advice brought me closer to him than ever, you made me see... You taught me to believe in my own heart!"

Amu summoned another baton to her hands, crossing them over to stave off the strength of the X character. She groaned in pain, straining her heart's abilities. She could feel moisture welling in her eyes, and before she could stop it, a tear ran down her cheek hotly. Amu hiccuped through a cry.

"Listen! I-if it wasn't for you, Taro-san..." the girl sobbed, her eyes squeezing shut from the force her heart was exerting. She had to say it.

It was now or never.

"... I would have never known what Ikuto meant to me!" she screeched over the sound of the X character's cries, silencing it at freezing it where it was- along with her friends below her, though they were out of her sight.

The waves of energy ceased, and Amu could hear Taro's voice from within the character.

"_I... I helped you find your true love...? I-i did that...?"_

Amu smiled weakly, taking the opportunity to well up what strength she had left in her heart after the massive revelation she had just had. She let the Heart Rods disappear from her grasps, her hands instead forming the shape of a heart with her fingers bowed over her own heart.

"Negative Heart: Lock On," she shouted. "Open Heart!"

The warmth of her cleansing attack flooded the area, enveloping the X character, and breaking the hold that the darkness had on Taro-san's heart. When the waves of light glimmered out, glittering afterglow still surrounding them, the newly purified character emerged from its true egg- one decorated in elegant script and the kanji for _love_. Amu breathed happily, watching the cleansed guardian be born.

_So, Taro-san would be a character bearer...?_

"Thank you, my dear Amu-chan!" the character called as he floated over, his more than a little shoujo manga-esque appearance glittering brightly. Throwing out a small red rose to hover in front of her, he winked as it burst like a bubble into glittering red light. She gasped.

This was his kind of character...? Amu smiled. It truly suited him, to be honest.

"You're Taro-san's-" Amu murmured, now blushing slightly at the swave little shugo chara. He silenced her with a gentle hush.

"Yes," he told her, "but he doesn't know that yet, my fair lady."

Amu reddened further, nodding in understanding. With another wink he was gone, sealed away in his egg until he could be born into Taro-san's life. The girl smiled, that boy deserved to be happy.

He had helped her so much. And speaking of which...

She had admitted that all out loud. Amu blanched, feeling her heart clench painfully, skipping several beats.

In front of everyone... In front of Tadase, too. She could feel more tears welling to her eyes, burning hotly and blurring her vision. She tried blinking it away, but that only caused them to roll down her cheeks. Her lip trembled.

_What had she done...?_

She had just told everyone what was in her heart so openly, admitted something she hadn't even admitted to herself in the private of her mind fully. It was so much, so fast.. Her heart had definitely leapt ahead of her again, she wavered in her place in the air, her mind losing strength. The day had only just begun, and yet, she had no energy left after all of that. It was too much for her...

Her heart couldn't take it.

'_Amu... You mustn't doubt yourself! Or the transformation will-!'_

Ran had not the time to finish her warning, as the transformation failed, disappearing and leaving Amu without the ability to fly. Her character shouted in panic for her, as did her friends on the ground.

Amu could faintly hear them, their voices passed through the sound of the rushing wind, but with as tired and as emotionally exhausted she felt... Falling right now to the ground didn't seem like all that bad of an idea. Maybe she would just fall into a hole and die, then she wouldn't have to face Tadase when she got down there. Maybe he wouldn't even care now...

She had surely just broken his heart...

Her tears trailed in the wind as she fell, and her small hands came up to hold to her chest, gripping at her heart through her shirt. She had trusted her heart... Had finally allowed the blocks to fall into place... But that meant crushing Tadase. Was it all worth it? It had happened so suddenly. She cried, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Ikuto..."

Before the Hotori boy on the ground had even deployed his Holy Crown as a safety net, something warm and firm had presses against her, its arms holding her tightly as it leapt to snag her out of the air. Slowly, she opened her eyes, glancing up to meet the night dark depths of her savior. She gasped.

"You called, my princess?" Ikuto smirked.

His catlike body landed gracefully on the grass, Amu held securely in his hold, as he bent on one knee and allowed her to rest her back to the other. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing would come out, so Ikuto took the chance to speak up again.

"Ah... I guess the princely type isn't really my character, hm?" His eyes met hers once more, glimmering brightly.

Ikuto was here... Right when she had needed him. As if Taro-san's words hadn't been proven correctly already. Amu's heart stammered. He hadn't heard what she had admitted, at least she hoped, and yet here he was like he could hear her heart no matter where she was. She blushed.

_How would she ever tell him... That she, truly, loved him?_

She didn't think she could.

* * *

Well there we have it for that!

Please please please let me know how I am doing, I love the feedback! It helps me better my writing and understanding of my readers' interests.

I have up to chapter 15 written... Should I post more?


	13. Plans

Hey guys, here's another one, and- I'm going to be honest- I have up til chapter 18 written at this point... I am writing like crazy on this thing, seriously. Rolling, rolling, rolling... Ahem, mind me not.

Anyway, I will get to posting them, but before I do, I really need more feed back. It helps immensely with my decisions on future chapters. So please, if you read this (and thank you in advance for doing so!) just drop a review to tell me what you like or what you don't like.

Or, tell me if I should post three **new** chapters tomorrow only! Our operators are standing by, but the offer ends soon! Not really, but yeah... I would love to hear from you... I really need friends, heh.

I do not own Shugo Chara!.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 13: Plans**

Ikuto watched the girl in his arms for a short while, seeing the emotions swirling around in her golden depths as she stared into his own eyes. He breathed in relief.

She was safe.

Had it not been for Yoru or the Dumpty Key, he may have never made it in time. Ikuto could always tell when Amu chara transformed with one of her guardians; the Dumpty Key would resound in the slightest response to its lock's energy. Like the two called back to each other when one was activated. The teen had to wonder if Amu could sense when he had character transformed as well.

He sighed, looking into her eyes. Ikuto supposed it didn't really matter if she could or not, so long as he knew when to be there to help her...

He had decided earlier that morning to make his way to her school, so he could hopefully catch her at lunch break to speak with her. The sooner he brought up the trip, the better luck he would have in getting her to go. They only had one day to make preparations, he had sighed.

Just as he had arrived at the schoolyard, however, the key had awoken to the lock's call at the same time Yoru told him he could sense an X egg. He had rushed to character transform and follow the scent of the darkened egg, catching Amu's scent as well on the wind, like strawberries and chocolate. She was already engaging the X egg, Ikuto had realized..

Making his way to the back of the school, he could see that she had already made work of purifying the X character, and now looked on as it sealed into its egg with a pop and drifted back to its owner. He had smiled; Amu was truly amazing sometimes. There was certainly a reason the Humpty Lock would have chosen her, he knew. But as she hovered there, silently looking on, Ikuto could see that something was wrong with her, her expression was dimming- the energy of her usually bright heart faltering. His heart skipped a beat.

With a pop of glittering sparkles, her powers left her, and she fell from her place up in the air. He gasped, her friends would likely not have time to fully chara nari in time to catch her. Ikuto had bit his lip in concentration; he would have to make it to her in time.

And that was when he had heard it, his heightened sense of hearing catching her brief whisper. Her voice cracked.

"_Ikuto..."_

Like a bolt of lightning, he leapt from the tree he was in, his supercat like abilities tossing him up just high enough to capture her out of the air before the Kiddy King had even called forth his safety net. Ikuto smirked to himself, happy he could play the prince for once. Amu hadn't seemed to know how to respond to that thought, though. He sighed, acknowledging that the princely character didn't really suit him.

He knew that.

Ikuto was just happy that he could rescue her like the princess she was to him. The teen smiled down at her now, as she blinked up at him.

_She had called for him..._ His heart beat rapidly. _She had needed him._

Ikuto wet his lips, his tongue flicking across them perhaps a bit nervously before he spoke.

"Ne, Amu..." he spoke softly. "Are you alright?"

She nodded mutely, staring into his eyes, before flinching at the sound of her friends worried voices as they ran over to join Ikuto and her. Ikuto watched her hesitant eyes, glancing from face to face as they coddled over her in concern. She seemed off, the teen realized, and his own eyes looked up to search the faces of her friends for an answer. His depths widened ever so slightly.

Tadase had disappeared, he gasped under his breath.

Ikuto couldn't help but wonder why, when the boy seemed so head-over-heels for Amu- he clenched his teeth a bit at the thought- the Hotori boy was like a wannabe knight in shining armor most of the time. It seemed odd to the Tsukiyomi teen that Tadase would leave with Amu only just having been saved from danger... Wouldn't he usually check on her? Ikuto frowned a bit.

He had missed something here, but he wasn't even the slightest bit close to an answer in his head. His eyes flickered back to Amu as she tried to brush off her friends worries. She looked like she wanted to cry...

Or had been crying.

Ikuto's heart clenched. Amu had been upset, and clearly still was, and he hadn't been here soon enough to find out what had happened. He hadn't been able to help her through it. Out of all the faces he was privileged to see of Amu's inner character, her sadness was certainly the hardest to see. He never wanted her to feel that way. Ikuto bit his lip momentarily, eyes flickering back up to the others around them.

"You're all missing class right now, aren't you?" his voice caused them all to look up, nodding in slight confusion of why the teen would bring it up.

"Yes, but there was trouble to take care of," Rima's soft voice explained.

He nodded once, eyes focused on something internal. "Ah, but now there isn't... You should find the Kiddy King, and head back to class. I'll walk Amu to the nurse's office." Ikuto told them simply, his air of maturity only helped to persuade them. There were perks of being an adult, he supposed.

There was a moment of silent protest, before the trio stood to leave, Kukai having agreed to go on and find Tadase. It was clear to the kids that they weren't going to get much more for explanation from Ikuto, though it didn't make them trust him anymore than before. The Fujisaki boy tailed behind his classmates, turning to give Ikuto one final look of warning.

'_You'd better be good to Amu-chan... She's been through enough.'_

Nagihiko knew Ikuto wasn't at fault entirely for what had happened, but he had been afraid that something like this might occur if the teen remained in Amu's life. When she had spoken about that someone that she may have been falling for, at first he hadn't had a reason to assume it would be the Tsukiyomi teen, but after a phone call from the Hotori boy saying he'd seen the cat in the area with Amu a day or so ago... Nagihiko could only assume. He sighed, turning his back on the two.

Amu had made her choice... He only wished it didn't have to hurt Tadase like it had.

Ikuto nodded in understanding to the younger boy, watching him and the others as they made their way back around the school, before looking back down to the girl in his arms. She looked so weak, and for a moment he thought that he may really need to take her to the nurse's office. But, he watched her eyes, it didn't look like something any band aid could resolve. Her heart was hurting.

The teen spoke, "Amu... What happened?"

Amu flinched a bit, despite his gentle voice, lowering her eyes in what looked like shame. She bit her lip, avoiding his intense night dark depths.

"I..." she whispered, "I don't really want to talk about it, Ikuto..."- Unspoken: _I never wanted to hurt someone again... To hurt Tadase again._

Ikuto watched her for a moment, trying to read the emotions behind her wide golden eyes. It was hard to say what she was feeling, even harder to try and see what she was hiding. He breathed.

"Why?" Ikuto asked simply.

The girl turned her face away from him, unsure of what emotion or response to give him. On one hand, she wanted to tell him what she had discovered. That she..._ loved_ him. But on the other, her embarrassment at that admission, and the shame she felt for crushing Tadase in the wake of that revelation, kept her from wanting to say anything at all. She had just been trying to save Taro-san... And she had done something so...

_She had..._

"I did something so out of character... At least, for my outside character." Amu muttered under her breath, and Ikuto had to wonder if she even realized she was speaking aloud. After a moment though, she seemed to hear what she had said, and she shook her head back and forth, biting her lip nervously as tears built in her eyes. She hiccuped, but steeled her voice to try and feign her usual cool and spicy attitude.

"Forget it. Will you just let me go now, Ikuto?" she muttered, cheeks slightly pink.

He looked at her silently, before nodding once, and allowing her to stand out of his hold. Ikuto moved to stand beside her wordlessly, dropping his transformation with Yoru, his hands slipping into his pockets. Sensing her embarrassment, and the obvious need for a change of topic, Ikuto cleared his throat and glanced off to the side indifferently.

She would tell him when she was ready to, Ikuto reasoned.

He spoke softly, "Ne, I actually didn't come here just to save you, Amu... Granted, as always, it looked like you needed it."

She turned to look at him, before looking away and crossing her arms over her little chest. Amu's cheeks puffed, though inwardly she couldn't have been more thankful that he had left the subject go so easily. It was as if he just knew not to tease about it.

"Yeah," she began, drawing up what strength she had left. "It's not like I asked you to, anyway-"

"Ah," he cut her off, "But you did."

She gasped, cheeks reddening, as she stomped her foot and turned her back to him.

"I-i don't know what you're talking about!" she defended, keeping her eyes closed to him. "What was it you wanted me for, Ikuto...?"

Amu had tried to make that sound like a demand as well, but the heat welling in her chest was making it difficult to speak more than a mumble. She sighed.

Ikuto breathed, shaking his head with a small smirk tugging at his lips. His tone was surprisingly flat though, as he feigned a bored disposition. He didn't want to make this seem too serious right now, he wasn't sure if she could take it.

"My flight," he paused to breathe, not sure how to phrase the rest. "...Leaves tomorrow evening."

Amu's eyes shot open, widening, and she could feel the prick of tears warning her. She bit her lip. Ikuto was really leaving already? It felt like he had just gotten here... Like she had just realized what it meant for him to be there. Her body trembled.

_Now, she would never get to tell him..._

She was about to open her mouth, though she really had nothing she could have said, but Ikuto silenced her with his own voice.

"... I want you to go with me, Amu."

Her heart leapt into her throat. He wanted what? She couldn't just take off, she couldn't roam the country whenever she felt like it- or the world for that matter. Just what was Ikuto saying? Her mind stammered, her eyes wide as she turned to face him finally.

"I-ikuto... I-i-"

"Utau wanted you to go, right?" he asked, making her blink at him in confusion.

She shook her head, silently speaking that she had no idea what he was referring to. Ikuto sighed, smiling faintly.

"Ah, Amu, how quickly you forget..." he began, his night dark eyes flickering to stare at her. "...Utau's birthday is this weekend. The trip she wanted you to go on, that's where I am flying to... And, I want to bring you with me, _Amu_."

She blushed, stuttering as her body heated up like a hot iron, glowing red.

_Utau's birthday... The beach resort on Okinawa... Sunsets... Romantic scenery... _

_With Ikuto!?_

The girl's knees practically turned to jello, and her heart felt as if it would pound out of her chest. She bit her lip, shuffling nervously. He wanted her to... Go with him? She stammered.

"W-why do you want to bring me...?" her eyes nervously met his own.

Ikuto stepped closer to her, leaning down into her personal bubble as he always did. He breathed, a smirk hidden behind his serious expression. "Because..." he began.

Amu swallowed nervously, her cheeks practically glowing. Her eyes dropped from his own sights to stare at his lips as he spoke, in hopes that she could focus and breathe normally if she did.

"... I forgot to buy Utau a present and I thought you might do nicely." Ikuto finished, fully smirking now.

Amu's thoughts sputtered to a stop as she processed the words he'd just used. Her head tilted to the side, dumbstruck expression sapping her embarrassment away. She blinked several times, eyes unseeing now.

"A... P-present?" Amu muttered. "M-me... Why?"

"I didn't want to go get anything _too _expensive." He told her.

Amu felt a vein twitch on her forehead, her irritation bubbling up hotly. He... He could be so... Ikuto was such a-

"Ugh, you can forget it! I'm not going to be your present, you cheapskate Ikuto!" Amu fumed, earning a small chuckle from the teen, and she could practically see the cat tail swinging behind him in self satisfaction. He thought he was so cute!

She pouted, gasping in shock as he leant closer to her.

"Ne, Amu, I really just want you with me." His eyes were honest, despite his smirk, as he spoke softly and her blush returned even hotter than before. She bit her lip.

_Did he really mean that...?_

He wanted her to go with him, all the way to Okinawa...? All because he wanted her... _With him?_ Her blush quadrupled in intensity and she felt her heart flutter like a hummingbird's. To go with him... It sounded-

But, after what she had done today... Did she even deserve it?

Then again, this sounded an awful lot like the escape hole she had been hoping to find and crawl into. She could avoid seeing the hurt in Tadase's eyes for a while. She couldn't bare to think of that expression of pain he had worn for her once before... But, how long could she run?

"I... Ikuto, how long will we be gone?" she murmured.

He smirked wider, fully assuming he had won the battle. "We leave tomorrow and get back next Friday evening... So, one week, in total." he told her.

_One week...?_ Amu chewed on her lower lip.

_That really wouldn't be that long... And, she could work out what to feel over the break._ She reasoned, nodding slowly.

If she could just have a little more time to think, a little more time to tell Ikuto what she felt, and to sort out what to say to Tadase... Maybe she could make things work, after all. She smiled hesitantly. Everything would be okay, right? All she had to do was trust her heart... Trust in the decision it had made. She could handle that...

...Hopefully.

Amu turned a bit from him, her voice a murmur as she spoke almost only to her guardians.

"I-i will have to talk to my boss about time off... And, even though I am ahead in my classes right now, I will still need to pick up a packet of make-up work to do over the week... But, we'll still have to talk to my parents..." her smile was bright, but she quickly stifled the expression and put her cool and spicy façade back on.

"... B-but it's not like I'm doing this to keep you company! I-i just want to be there for Utau..." she muttered defiantly. Ikuto smirked.

_Oh, his Amu was such a cute little firecracker..._

"Alright," he spoke leaning back from her to stand straight, hands in his pockets once more. "We'll talk to your parents tonight, ne Amu?"

She faked a pout again, making Ikuto chuckle.

That had gone over much better than he had expected. His nose wasn't broken and his ears hadn't been rendered deaf by her shouting at him... He was a lucky guy by all means. Ikuto smiled. She seemed to actually want to go. It made his heart skip a beat, fluttering in his chest at just the notion. Amu had agreed...

He breathed, eyes drifting to look up at the morning sky.

Something had been bothering her earlier though, and that fact still nagged at his mind. He sighed, he would have to stick to his resolve of letting her come to him when she was ready. Maybe, just maybe he hoped, this time away would help heal what had broken today.

Their plans were set, and he would pull whatever strings he had to to make it work. He smirked.

Everything, short of kidnapping her, that was.

...Maybe.

* * *

So, I already blabbered at you up there, so maybe I'll just say...

I love you all as much as I love Ikuto! (which is probably an unhealthy degree, now that I think about it, but you catch my drift) See you all_ very_ soon...


	14. Regrets and Resolves

Alright guys, than you so much for the support and wonderful feedback! I am sorry I couldn't get these posted yesterday as promised. The site maintenance took down my doc manager and it just kept erroring out- looks like its all back today though. And, seeing as I wasn't able to post these yesterday as I had said I would, I will post four in place of three. Sorry for the delay!

I do not own Shugo Chara!.

Now, count with me:

One...

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 13: Regrets and Resolves**

Kukai strode down the pathway of the middle school's backlot, shoes scuffing softly against the paved sidewalk. He sighed, the last thing he had expected to come to light today had seemed to just pop up out of nowhere. His green eyes glanced skyward.

_So... Amu was in love with Tsukiyomi Ikuto?_

Even rolling the thought around his mind didn't quite make it fit, but then again, that catlike teen was never exactly his idea of an ideal guy for any girl. Kukai shook the thought away; it was likely a bias thought based on his jealousy of Utau's constant fawning over her brother... Ikuto couldn't really be that bad.

"Ah... What does it matter, anyway?" The boy shook his head, red tresses swaying.

It was what it was, and not him nor their friends, or even Tadase could change what just happened. Amu had made a pretty big choice right there for all of them to witness, and Kukai couldn't help but wish he had seen it coming. When he had seen the two of them together a day or so ago at the school, he should have thought about exactly why a guy like that would be hanging around Hinamori. Instead, he had been too caught up on thoughts of Utau's reaction to finding out Ikuto had returned... Kukai clenched a fist in his pocket.

If he had been looking out for his friends, Amu and Tadase both, the kids he considered little siblings of his own would not have been hurt like this. So much for being a good big brother, he inwardly scoffed.

The Souma boy could just hear his own older brother chastising him for letting his little brother and sister down, instead of stepping in like a man should.

He kicked a rock away with the toe of his shoe, watching it skitter across the ground as he shook his head back and forth, sighing deeply. It didn't matter what he would've done or could've done better back then, though. He was living now, and in this moment, he could still do the right thing and find his little brother. Kukai let a smile of determination light his lips.

Tadase needed him right now, no doubt. Rather the kid realized it, or not.

The garden lined path eventually rounded to the side of the courtyard, one bench of the small decorative pond's observatory pad taken up by the figure of a petite blonde boy, his flaxen locks swaying in the breeze to hide his eyes. Kukai breathed deeply, keeping the faint friendly smile on his lips as he worked out what to say. _It was now or never... Time to step up to the plate._

Making his own smile grow slightly at the thought of the challenge before him, the preteen clenched his hand into a self-aimed thumbs-up of good luck.

"Alright, Daichi," Kukai spoke softly enough that only his guardian would hear him, whispering fiercely. "Let's get over there, and work this out!"

The gravel trail down to the pond crunched under his shoes, as Kukai strode over to the Hotori boy carefully. He worked his way up to the benchside, stopping just beside the younger boy and sighing softly. Tadase didn't seem to even notice him, or if he did, he seemed to prefer to not realize someone was there.

"Hey, Newbie King," he pulled a hand from his pocket to clap it gently down on the blond's shoulder. "Whatcha doing all the way out here? We thought you sprouted wings and flew off..."

Kukai's voice faded into the quiet of the morning, a breath catching in his throat as the younger boy solemnly turned to face him. He gasped.

Tadase's light brows drew together in a pained arch, a small line of suffering furrowing between them. The light red depths below glittered with unshed moisture, and the look in their silence told Kukai that Tadase probably wished that the statement about flying away was something the younger boy could honestly do right now. His lip trembled and the boy bit down on it gently to keep it from speaking of his feelings. He sucked in a breath, feigning a smile when he felt he had enough time to work up courage.

"Sorry, Souma-kun... I-i thought that I saw something over here, so I went to check it out." The lie didn't even sound believable to the young blond. Tadase shuddered, still holding the fake smile but allowing his sights to drift back to the pond before them.

Kukai sighed, taking the seat next to Tadase, keeping his hand on the boy's shoulder still. He cleared his throat, letting a somber smile tug at his lips.

"Yeah, did you find anything here?" he asked.

Pale red eyes turned back to the older boy at his side, the moisture in his sights still glimmering and unshed. He shook his head back and forth wordlessly.

Kukai spoke, "I think you did... I mean, the view sure is awesome, right?" The preteen turned his sights to look out over the garden and glittering little pond, a smile on his lips as he let the wind carry through his red hair, lifting his spirit along with it. He could only hope that Tadase would feel the comfort as well. He looked over to the blond, who seemed to be taking in what his older classman had said.

Tadase finally nodded, a small smile meeting his lips, tugging just barely at the corners of his lips.

"Yes, you are right... It is very peaceful out here right now," he agreed.

The wind blew, butterflies danced from wild flower to flower, and the birds seemed to allow the moment with only a few beautiful songs. In the warmth of the sun, Kukai couldn't imagine anyone not to find this at least a little comforting. He smiled, but it soon dimmed a degree. He wasn't going to help Tadase by distracting him, he knew that. Like his older brother would say, problems don't get fixed unless you use the right tools to fix them. He sighed, green eyes sliding to Tadase once more.

"Hey," he began, drawing Tadase's attention back to him. "...what happened back there... It was-"

"Souma-kun," Tadase spoke up, his voice feigning strength.

Kukai stilled, listening patiently. The Hotori boy would need to talk, so he would let him.

"...Ikuto is... He's like my older brother- Just like you are. I use to hate him for a long time, and I didn't trust him... But, after we fixed things, and worked it out, I told myself I would never let anything come between us again..." Tadase grew quiet, and Kukai took the chance to fill in what the younger boy could not say.

Kukai spoke, "No one wants to have to fight his own brother over a girl... Am I right?"

Tadase nodded slowly, looking back up to the older boy. "Yes, you are right... All I wanted now, was for me to be able to support Ikuto fully, and have him support me too... But, now... I can't figure out which way to turn. I love Hinamori-san, but I also love Ikuto. He is the closest thing I had ever had to an older brother."

Kukai sighed, leaning back in the bench to rest his hands behind his head.

"Oh man, caught between family and a love interest... Can you believe we are this age now? Hn, I can remember when all we were worried about was playing outside and making friends... Remember that, green horned King? Man, kids have it all, y'know?"

Tadase blinked, his brows furrowing now in thought, a moment elapsing before he nodded with his expression evening out and a small smile tugging at his lips. He seemed to know what Kukai had been trying to do. Only a few years ago, things had been simple and he had been happy, even with less than he had now.

"Souma-kun... Thank you," Tadase smiled faintly, nodding to Kukai. "I know that I love Amu... But, I also love Ikuto-niisan. I know, that Amu-chan would never hurt someone intentionally, and Ikuto... He wouldn't want to hurt anyone either. He's always made sacrifices for everyone... Even for me, when I didn't know it." Tadase explained.

Kukai gave a smirk, nodding and giving a thumbs-up.

"Alright!"

Tadase smiled back, speaking softly now. "When we were younger, things were simple because if we wanted to know something, we would just ask about it and learn. It was easier than guessing on our own... I think, that before I feel sad about what happened, I need to talk to both of them, and find out the truth for sure. I know, Amu-chan will tell me the truth."

Kukai's smile brightened, as he winked at the younger boy.

He had known that Tadase would figure out an answer if he had the right mind set. Tadase was smart, he was kind and above all, like any good king should be... He was understanding. But, Kukai reminded himself, he was still a kid. A kid who loved his brother and a special girl very much, his too big heart holding them both even when they had hurt him. Kukai knew that Tadase was smart and understanding, but he also knew what it felt like to fear that you'd be rejected for someone else after all...

Funnily enough, Ikuto played the role of "someone else" in both the young king's and Kukai's relationships. Kukai shook his head.

It wasn't the teen's fault.

Well, at least, not in Utau and his relationship anyway. She had always loved Ikuto, and Kukai very much doubted he could ever really fill that space in her heart. Then again, he could never ask her to let him try. How could he make her choose between family and love... He sighed. Well, that had sounded familiar.

Granted, he didn't know the full situation of Ikuto, Amu and Tadase. He only hoped that time, and understanding, could stitch up the holes that were torn.

Only time would tell.

* * *

Nagihiko kept his silence as he and the blond girl, Rima, made their way back into the school and through the halls. His long hair swayed behind him as he strode somewhat briskly, his eyes remorseful and resentful at the same time.

_He should have given Amu better advice..._

If only he had said what he had been thinking back then, if only he had told her that she should make sure she didn't end up hurting Tadase... Maybe, this whole mess this morning could have been avoided. Maybe, if Nagihiko had played himself instead of the softer Nadeshiko for Amu's sake, he could have saved her and Tadase both heartache and confusion. She had been doubting her relationship then, had come to him for help, and he hadn't wanted to upset her further when she already had looked so torn. He should have made it more clear that choosing that _someone else_ while you were still with your current love interest, would only break their heart with your unfaithfulness.

But he hadn't.

He had tried to sugarcoat the idea of falling for someone when you were already with someone...

Instead of telling her that she should have went to Tadase first and foremost. He should have been the first to hear that her feelings were changing. Nagihiko sighed, eyes lowering to the polished floor, and making Rima look over to him in questioning.

She held her level expression, her golden eyes flickering to stare down the corridor.

"I can't believe Amu would do that to Tadase-kun..." her voice was soft, monotonous, though Nagihiko knew that she truly was in shock.

Shock he could have prevented if only he'd told Amu the right things.

Nagihiko stopped walking, his forelocks falling to obscure his honey colored eyes. The hands at his side trembled slightly, and the words of remorse and chastise he wanted to speak for his own mistakes lodged in his throat, making him suck in a breath raggedly. Guilt did not feel very good, he'd admit. Giving advice was something he'd loved to do for his friends...

But, he had failed Amu.

"Fujisaki-kun...?" Rima spoke hushedly, stopping to turn to him. She tilted her head to meet his eyes under his hair, her own sparkling. "What's the matter all of a sudden?"

"I..." he began, still not quite wanting to look up. "...Amu came to me... I mean, she told me about this, before all this happened." He admitted.

Rima held her soft, unchanged expression, holding the gasp she felt ready to fall from her lips within her throat. She breathed.

"What do you mean?"

The Fujisaki boy paused, finally lifting his head a bit, but still not letting his eyes meet hers. He knew that this would be hard to hear, and likely to understand, but if anyone should know... It should be one of Amu's close friends. They knew her, they understood her, and maybe... Maybe Rima could understand what he had done. He sighed.

"A few days ago, Amu asked me for advice on something," he began, and Rima nodded slowly, her blond tresses swaying. "...She wanted to know what to do if she were to fall in love with someone else, while she was still with Tadase. I told her that if she was having second thoughts, she should be honest with the one she loves... But, I don't think I was clear enough. I should have told her that choosing the other person over Tadase without telling Tadase first would do this... It would hurt him-"

"You couldn't have known this would happen... Even with what she told you." Rima interrupted quietly, but her tone was firm.

The boy glanced up to her now, silently asking her to go on, to make him see how this wasn't his fault. She continued.

"Amu makes her own choices, rather or not you give her advice... You know how stubborn she is."

That one made Nagihiko smile, his heart slowly starting to beat again. He nodded.

"...But, Amu is also indecisive and unsure. I don't think she would have been able to admit what she felt in her heart without your advice. So maybe..." Rima paused, blushing ever so slightly. "...Maybe you helped her understand her heart better, Fujisaki-kun."

A blush bloomed to match the blond girl's across the cheeks of the long haired boy, and a smile met his lips more fully. He breathed, grateful for those few but friendly words from the former queen. Perhaps, he nodded to her, no matter what he had said he could not have changed this outcome. Maybe, it was what was suppose to happen. Maybe this was destiny.

Learning was difficult, but that was why life gave those challenges in the first place. Once you experienced something, suffered through it and fought for victory, the rewarding knowledge of learning something new would outweigh what the challenge made you go through- Just like learning a dew dance. Perhaps for Amu and Tadase, hurting like this, and working through this would teach them something about life that Nagihiko's advice could not have advised them of otherwise. Maybe, it would make them better people, with stronger hearts.

He could only hope so.

The young boy looked back to the girl in front of him, smiling kindly. He tilted his head, making his hair flow over his shoulder in a feminine manner. He breathed.

"Thank you, Mashiro-san. I think I needed that..." he admitted. "We should head back to class now, before it reaches lunch hour." Nagihiko explained and earned a nod from the girl.

Life and love were difficult, sure, but Nagihiko had a feeling that in the end...

It was worth it.


	15. Promise

...Two...

* * *

_Je t'aime tourjours_

**Chapter 15: Promise**

Amu's golden eyes flickered to glance over her shoulder, the sour pout she had developed a while ago still tugging at her lips. She huffed.

"You know, you don't have to follow me..."

The girl got no response from the teen, and her frown tugged downward again and a blush burned on her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell in a deep sigh, silently hoping that her obvious frustration at how flustered the boy behind her was making her would tell him to find a new occupation. Bugging her simply could not be that fun...

And besides, it was making it hard to think with how hard her heart had taken to pounding in her chest. Then again... Thinking had been something she had been avoiding all day. She just couldn't bear to process it, thinking about what she had done in front of Tadase, it was just too much. Her inner character had really just taken over without her permission, without her thought, and like Nagihiko had warned her not to, she had hurt Tadase with her confession. She sighed.

All of a sudden, she had just made the decision out loud.

Just like she had before by hiding Ikuto, she had crushed Tadase's feelings.

Her street shoes splashed in a small puddle, and suddenly it felt like the afternoon's shift in weather was actually more in tune with her feelings that she was. The sky had decided to cry just a little after lunch hour, when the billowy grey shadows had snuffed out the sun, and it had yet to stop its misty drizzle. If she had known it would rain today, she would have at least packed an umbrella and warmer jacket- Or rain boots, for that matter. Amu grumbled.

Now, she was walking downtown to find her little bookshop, where she would ask for the time off. A small smile touched her lips. She honestly hoped she could get the vacation time. As strange as it would have sounded to her a week ago, spending time with Ikuto like that- Her face lit up like a stoplight- It was something she would have never thought about before. But now, if only just a little, she'd admit, she was looking forward to the fairytale-like getaway. It was like a fantasy trip...

… With Ikuto.

She blushed hotter.

Biting her lip nervously, she let her golden eyes drift to glance back over her shoulder at him, her sights widening a bit when she saw the playful smirk he was wearing. Shoot, she flipped back to stare straight ahead of her, she had been caught staring again. And Ikuto of course, would drink up all the embarrassment he could get out of her. She frowned.

She couldn't really help it though, thinking about how now that boy meant so much more than an annoying friend... Or perhaps, he always had been more and she hadn't given it enough thought. Either way, the way her heart pounded at the knowledge had her more than a little captivated.

The girl heard a stifled chuckle from behind her, and her cheeks lit up once again.

_He was definitely more than a friend..._

_But, he was still annoying!_

She cleared her throat, stomping as she walked now. Her little arms crossed over her chest.

"Do you have to be annoying...? Stop teasing me, Ikuto."

A hand clapped down gently on her shoulder, making her flinch and stop in her tracks, as the teen bent to whisper in her ear.

"Ah, but I already told you... I love to make you blush," he spoke smoothly, making said blush ignite brighter. He smirked, "If I don't tease you, I won't get what I want."

Her heart thundered.

_What he wanted...?_

Amu wet her lips nervously, eyes lowering as she thought about what he'd just said. His voice was so smooth and gentle, his body warm behind her, it was almost too difficult to focus on his words. _He loved seeing her blush..._

Wait a minute.

He had been walking behind her... He couldn't have even _seen_ her blushing. There was no way, unless he had a mirror in front of her, which she knew he didn't. Her cheeks puffed, and she turned her head to him, pushing him back from her face.

"Ikuto, you couldn't have even seen me blushing, so you can't prove that I was!" she shouted, making his smirk grow as he stood back to normal height.

"Yay, I tricked you," he spoke. "Ne, Amu, was I wrong though...? You were blushing."

Her blush burned hotter and she turned her head away from him, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"No I wasn't!"

"Well, you are now." Ikuto smirked.

The girl made a final sound of desperate irritation at the teen, turning her back on him and continuing to march to her destination. She must've looked ridiculous, but she didn't care.

She knew that letting him come with her would only end up annoying her, she sulked. She should have just told him to go wait at home for her. Well, in technically she had, but he had found away around that command. She blushed.

Ikuto had shown up at her school again to walk her home, waiting by the front gates with his dreamy night dark hair swaying in the breeze- She coughed. Back on topic: he had told her that he wanted to escort her safely home, but she had told him that she wanted to talk to Mr. Miyamoto before tomorrow so that he could at least try calling someone else in before her vacation. After that, Ikuto had simply smiled and told her that he'd accompany her. Because eventually, she'd have to walk home, and he'd be there to walk her there. She frowned.

He was so stubborn sometimes, she'd admit.

In the end, it had resulted with him tailing behind her the whole trip down to the bookshop, and he had yet to relent even through the rain. Amu pouted, she didn't need him to be her bodyguard... Then again, having Ikuto there to save her if she needed it, it felt kind of nice. She smiled faintly.

_Someone who was always there when she needed them._

Finally, Amu sighed as the rain began to pick up, they had reached the storefront of Miyamoto's Books. The warm lights danced on the inside, beckoning them out of the cold and into the coziness of the buttery little shop, and Amu heeded the call with a vigor. She stepped through the glass paned door, Ikuto in tow, and met the warm smile of her employer behind the counter.

He spoke, "Hinamori-san! What a surprise to see you here now! You know, you don't work until tomorrow evening, dear."

Amu smiled back, bowing to him in greeting before stepping over to the counter. She breathed. _Here goes._..

"Actually, Miyamoto-sama, that is something I would like to ask about..." she began, earning a nod from the older man. "...I have something that had come up, and I was hoping to ask if I could get the next week off... I know this is sudden, but I-"

"It's my sister Utau's birthday, and she wants Amu to go with her to Okinawa," Ikuto stepped in, his expression bored but tone rather polite and even, making the older gentleman look up to him from Amu.

The man smiled at Ikuto, nodding in understanding. "I see, well Amu is only a volunteer here, so it shouldn't be a problem if she needs time away. After all, she is a very hard worker, and always goes above and beyond what is asked of her." Miyamoto explained.

Amu's chest deflated with a sigh of relief, and she bowed in thanks to her employer.

"Thank you so much, Miyamoto-sama. I promise, I will work extra hard for the missed time."

He smiled back, "I know you will, Hinamori-san." A glint of mirth glimmered in his brown eyes, and he fought the growing smile as he looked at the two youngsters. "May I ask you something, young man?"

Ikuto blinked, his sights flickering to meet those of the owner, and he nodded his permission, waiting for the older man to speak. Miyamoto smiled.

"You are the boy that came in here earlier this week, am I right? I saw you in the aisle with Hinamori-san that evening, so I must ask, are you her boyfriend? You two seem very close, and I know how popular Amu is with the boys," Miyamoto explained, winking at the now bright red girl.

Amu's thoughts sputtered, catching and tripping on the word "boyfriend", which now echoed over and over in her mind. It felt as if her face would melt off from the heat of her blush. With a panic, her stammering thoughts matched her vocal stuttering and her arms flailed as she tried to brush off the man's assumptions.

Ikuto blinked at the question for a moment, before a catlike smirk met his lips and he spoke simply.

"Mhm." He nodded once.

Amu shattered, she could feel the embarrassment and shock erode away at her composure, and she fought the urge to crumple to the floor like a crumbling statue. Her wide golden eyes flickered nervously to Ikuto, eyeing him for an explanation of why he would something so dangerous so suddenly like that. Was he insane?

_He had just called himself her..._

_...Her boyfriend._

She swallowed nervously.

Ikuto watched the girl staring at him, her little mouth opening and closing like a fish and the flush of pink that he loved so much tinting her cheeks. He smirked at her, night dark eyes glimmering with mirth and amusement. No doubt if he had been chara changed, his tail would be swishing triumphantly, his ears perked in self satisfaction. He was a proud kitty indeed.

Amu gawked at Ikuto a moment longer, before turning her reddened face back to the older gentleman. She stammered, waving her hand in dismissal.

"I-ikuto is just kidding! He loves to joke!...Heh eh, Ikuto, you're too funny..." she sweatdropped hopelessly.

Miyamoto seemed to see straight through her though, and he smiled bright and knowingly. His brown eyes turned to look back at the teen, that happy little glint in his eyes once more.

"Well- Ikuto-san, was it?- You take care of little miss Hinamori for me, will you? Have a good trip, and Amu, please know that your apron will be here for you when you return." Miyamoto spoke, looking over to Amu now.

Ikuto nodded, a small honest smile now tugging at his lips, and he met the owners question evenly. "She's safe with me," he told him.

Amu blushed, wanting to curl within herself to avoid the embarrassment and surge of nervousness she felt, but she managed to bid her boss a goodbye and shuffled her way out the door. It shut with a slight clatter, the little bell ringing as it shook with the small jolt, and alerted the store that the pair had made their exit. Amu sighed, breathing in the cool, rain scented air and stood in the middle of the sidewalk for a moment. Collecting her thoughts was harder done than said, she blushed.

She wanted to ask Ikuto what that had been about, why he had said what he said, but she was too afraid of the teasing he would shower her with at the blush she would give. The way he had said it, so suddenly and so simply like it was the purest truth, had her heart beating a mile a minute. It had almost convinced her that it was true, had she not known Ikuto for Ikuto, and that his teasing was never ending. She breathed dejectedly. After everything that had happened that morning, her confession, hearing that little bit of fairy tale was a little too much of a tempting prod.

She couldn't have that with Ikuto... Not yet, not until she was able to fix things with Tadase, and admit the truth to Ikuto... Amu bit her lip.

She wasn't sure if her heart would actually wait for her on the matter, though.

Wordlessly and lost in her own world, the girl turned to leave, silently trodding along the sidewalk of puddles with Ikuto tailing behind. The rain was cold on the bare skin of her face and knees, and she tucked her hands into her pockets to keep them out of the misty breeze. It felt like winter all ready, she sighed, and it was only the beginning of September. Stupid global warming, or more like global cooling. Amu pouted, her eyes focused and unfocused at the same time on her path ahead.

Ikuto watched her silently, trailing behind her as she began to walk, and a bubble of worry surfaced in his chest. She had seemed normal in the shop just now, acting like she always did, but now she seemed almost mournful. Lost and saddened by her thoughts, and Ikuto could not help but wonder if his little joke had actually hurt her.

She could usually handle anything he said, always brushing it off and blushing cutely. Even when he teased about how close they were, or how intimate they might happen to appear, she had been able to chide him childishly and refuse him. And besides, it wasn't as if he was ever making these things up to tease her with, she really was the closest person to him, had truly shared the most intimate time with him, and to be honest he would have like nothing more than to actually be her boyfriend. But, he sighed, Tadase would still be in the way of that at this time.

And he would still have to wait for her to be ready to love him in place of the little king.

Ikuto could only hope that this time away, time with him, would help her see how much she truly meant to him... That while he teased about their relationship, he never lied to her. His love was as real as anything could be, solid as stone. He had meant what he said all that time ago; he would come back to make her his- When she was ready, of course. Ikuto even meant what he had said this morning, that even if she were falling apart, she wouldn't need to worry because he would hold her together. He would do everything in his power to keep her happy, and to keep her safe.

She should never fear falling, because he would always catch her.

But, as Ikuto watched her now, rain misting his face, he could see that something was pulling her down. He had seen it earlier too, in the morning, the way she had looked so dejected and lost after the battle with the X egg. She had said something about doing something out of character, and it seemed to really bother her, to the point she had looked to have been crying. Ikuto's heart clenched.

He had wanted to ask, to make her tell him what was wrong so he could try to help, but it had felt like a personal issue that she didn't want him knowing. Though, now he felt like he had an excuse to pry, she was visibly hurting before his eyes. What kind of bystander would just sit and watch a little girl suffer, and not at least ask about it? He couldn't let her shut him out, not when it was he who had always been there to see her inner character.

By now, they had made their way toward the residential zone, the sounds of people and cars bustling about faded away out here and Ikuto quietly picked up his pace to match hers. He walked beside her, hands in his pockets, and thoroughly soaked to the bone from the rain. His night dark depths glanced down, sliding over to stare at her face.

Her eyes watered, at least he thought they were, it didn't seem like rain. She kept her hands in her pocket, as she bit down gently on her lower lip in thought. Ikuto's heart clenched, and he sucked in a breath of cool air to calm his nerves. She would tell him if he asked...

At least, he thought she would.

"Amu..." he spoke softly, making her pause in her steps. She looked at him.

They had stopped now, just before the corner of the next block, and as far as could be seen they were alone to their moment. Ikuto breathed, turning to stand before her, his head tilted down so his eyes could meet in a straight line of contact. She gasped.

Amu watched his eyes, the glimmering light in them dancing like twinkling stars, and for a moment she thought she may have forgotten how to breathe. The misty rain dewed his long lashes and soft hair with little droplets of water, glittering in the light of the streetlight that was blinking to life above them. Glistening drips slid down his cheeks to drop to the damp fabric of his shirt, and suddenly, the serious face he wore mixed with the moisture running down his face made him look as if he were crying. She bit her lip.

What was wrong with him?

Ikuto waited for her to respond, but it didn't seem like anything would be falling from her lips anytime soon. She just stared at him, eyes wide and full of emotion, as trickles of clear water ran down her cheeks and dripped from her dampened rose colored hair. He took in more air, filling his lungs, before releasing it slowly. Ikuto could only hope this wouldn't upset her.

"Ne," he began, his voice soft and low. "This morning, I wanted to ask you... But, it didn't seem like you'd answer me." Ikuto told her.

Amu waited, wordlessly watching him, for her to come up with a response. But, that look, the intensity in his eyes... She couldn't even think.

He continued, "Amu, what happened when you were taking care of that X egg...?"

Her heart stopped. He... He wanted to know what had happened? The morning flooded back to her unpleasantly, a strange tinge of bittersweet raising with the memory. Bitter, because she had proven herself unfaithful to Tadase, had broken his heart. Sweet, because in that moment, all of the strange feelings she had been having for Ikuto made since. She wasn't insane... She was in love.

But, she wet her lips nervously, tasting the moisture of the rain, she could not tell Ikuto that yet though. She wanted to, god she wanted to, so that he could know that she didn't hate him. That he was special to her, that he made her heart beat and her cheeks flush for a reason. But, if she told him that now, if they were able to be together now, she would go the full ten yards and commit to cheating on Tadase. And that, she didn't think she could do. She had to work it out first, had to have more time to figure out how to tell both Tadase and Ikuto about her feeling. Amu knew, she had to make it fair and make it right first. She whimpered.

_What was she suppose to say?_

Ikuto watched her quietly, his dark eyes following the glimmers of emotion in her depths- The conflict. He had clearly mentioned something painful to her, and his heart felt like it had turned to stone in his chest. He remained silent.

After a long moment, the girl spoke softly, "I-i just said something... That, I really shouldn't have said. I spoke too suddenly..." she admitted, purposely leaving out what it was that had been said.

Ikuto seemed to take it in slowly, listening to her words, and watching the remorse in her eyes. He wet his lips with a swift sweep of his tongue, breathing in and gathering his thoughts. He spoke simply and softly.

"What was it you said?"

Her eyes watered, hidden by the rain, and she averted her gaze while a shiver ran through her. Light pink brows furrowed in hesitation, and she sucked in a breath of air to calm her nerves.

"I... I can't tell you right now, Ikuto." She told him.

Ikuto pursed his lips a bit, fighting the feeling of hurt from welling in his chest. He nodded to her, his dark eyes blinking slowly, and dripping dew from his long lashes onto his pale cheeks. Ikuto knew, if Amu wanted to keep something from him, she likely had a good reason, or at least a reason she _thought_ was good. Either way, if it was something of a secret right now, he could wait until she was ready to tell him. If she ever wanted to, that was. Still...

"Promise you'll tell me what it was, eventually?"

Amu paused, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Of course she would tell him, he had to know and she wanted nothing more than for him to. She wouldn't be following her heart if she ignored those feelings. She had to be strong enough to fix things, and it would be hard...

But, she knew she had people to count on when she needed it.

Ran, Miki, Suu, Dia...

And even Ikuto.

They would be there to support her, even if they didn't know what it was they were supporting. That's what friends were for, and she couldn't have been more thankful for them. Her would-be selves, Ikuto, everyone... If she trusted her heart, and her friends, she knew that eventually she could tell Ikuto what he needed to know and properly tell Tadase the truth. Her smile widened.

With tears falling down her cheeks, and a honest nod, Amu finally spoke,

"Promise."

Ikuto smiled, a wash of relief flooding through him, only interrupted by a shiver racking down his spine. He straightened himself out, smiling a little sheepishly before telling Amu, "I'm cold."

The girl giggled, nodding in agreement. They were both soaked to the bone, and she knew they had more things to do tonight if they were going to be able to leave with Utau. She smiled.

"Let's head home and warm up, we still need to talk to my parents," she told him, earning a nod from the teen.

Together, they walked back to her home, savoring the thought of the warmth of the beach. They had better hope her parents would be lenient.

Amu sighed, thinking of her father. Now, the real battle would begin.


	16. Hot Chocolate

...Three...

* * *

_Je t'aime tourjours_

**Chapter 16: Hot Chocolate  
**

Puddles gathered in the genkan as the two kids stood in its space to remove their dampened shoes and coats. Amu shivered, glancing around the silent house, darkness drawn with the lacking of lights being turned on. She furrowed her brows. Had she noticed the car absent from the front driveway, she would have realized that her parents and Ami had gone out shopping for the evening. Amu turned to Ikuto, giving him a slight puzzled expression before letting golden eyes search the front room once more.

"Mama, Papa...?" She waited, her voice disappearing into the empty space.

She looked back to the teen, hearing a strange clattering noise and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Amu watched as the pearly teeth of the teen chattered behind his parted lips, a shiver running visibly through him for emphasis, and she rolled her eyes at him. She sighed.

"Ikuto, your teeth are being noisy," she told him, making him clench his jaw to still them, a blush tinting his cheeks.

"Sorry," he simply said, wrapping himself in his arms. "I'm cold."

Amu thought about teasing him on the subject, like he might have done to her, but her own rattling shiver made her blush and silence any thoughts of trying. Meekly, she nodded to him, averting her eyes to look at the growing puddles on the floor. _Mama would not be happy..._ She bit her lip, glancing back up to Ikuto.

"We should probably go warm up..." she offered, though she wasn't really sure how they would do that. She supposed she could bring the space heater into her room.

Ikuto shivered again, his arms snaking tighter around his middle, but he managed to smirk despite himself.

"Ne, Amu, how will you warm me up?" he rose a brow suggestively.

Amu blinked at him, her mouth opening then closing. Of all the times for him to... She sighed again, her cheeks glowing pink.

"You can warm yourself up, you pervert!" she muttered harshly, making him smile.

Ikuto quickly stifled the expression, though, and he tucked his head down in a dejected manner and let his long lashes and dark hair obscure his eyes. He whimpered in complaint.

"Ah, so now she'll let me freeze to death..."

Amu rolled her eyes, letting a still frostbitten and numb hand rest on her hip. She stuck her nose up in the air.

"This wouldn't happen to you if you weren't such a pervert, you know?" she quipped.

He sighed, stepping closer to her despite her not being able to see it with her eyes closed to him. He leant down, the wet strands of his forelocks brushing her forehead, and for a moment he remained silent and breathed in her scent.

"Am I a pervert, Amu...?" he whispered, making her golden eyes flutter open.

She gasped at his sudden closeness, and her words stammered in her mouth, falling gracelessly aloud.

"Y-yes, you are."

Ikuto blinked slowly, pursing his lips ever so slightly as his thin brows furrowed in thought. He made a low rumbling sound in his chest, thrumming a soft hum.

"Mn, but I am only a pervert because you make me..." he told her, making her blush heat by tenfold. She swallowed nervously.

_What was Ikuto saying so suddenly like this...?_

Ikuto smirked, "... I learned by example, perverted kid."

Her nervous eyes shot wide, and the bubble of irritation so familiar in his presence welled in her chest. She growled, raising her hands to bat them against his chest repeatedly..

"Ikuto, I didn't make you a pervert!"

He stood back to his full height, smirking still. "Ah, but you did."

Amu huffed, her blush ever present and she tried her best to glare him into submission. Once again, she was sure that if he had chara changed with Yoru, his tail would have no doubt been swinging in satisfaction. She swore, his life would end if he didn't tease her every chance he got. The girl grumbled; maybe his life would end if he didn't _stop_ teasing her, too.

She was about to prod a deadly warning, if he flustered her further she would chara nari and kick his butt, but before she could his triumphant expression faded and another shiver racked through him. His teeth chattered again, and she could see his jaw muscle tighten in response. She smirked.

"Aw, kitty's not so tough when he's wet and cold... You really are like a big cat, nya~" Amu teased, making her best impression of a cat and raising a hand to paw the air. She giggled.

The teen frowned a bit, raising a thin eyebrow at her mocking of him. "What are you trying to say?" he asked.

Amu giggled again, raising a hand to cover her mouth. Soon the giggle broke into full laughter, and Ikuto's expression only sank the more she laughed at him. Finally, as her giggles subsided, she rose a finger to wipe the happy tears from her eyes, blinking to look up at the frowning cat boy. She smiled brightly.

"Don't be such a sour_puss_, it was funny right?" she giggled once more at her own pun. _Sourpuss, like a pussycat... Oh, she thought she was pretty genius for that one_.

Ikuto didn't seem to share the thought though, and he turned his face from her with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. Amu sighed, rolling her eyes.

The awkward silence only persisted, and Amu bit her lip after a long moment. She hadn't meant to upset him, but it was just about time she had gotten him back for all the jokes he made of her. She pouted, shuffling her feet nervously in the quiet, before finally she could not take it anymore. Amu cleared her throat, her voice soft as she drew Ikuto's attention back to her.

"Hey, Ikuto, you like chocolate, don't you?"

It took a moment for the frown to melt off of his expression, but soon there was a soft smile to replace it, and his starlit eyes glimmered in the dark to stare at her.

He nodded, "Yeah, I do... You remembered."

She blushed, "Don't make something so serious out of it..." she muttered. "I was just thinking, maybe having hot chocolate would help warm us up."

Ikuto's smile grew, and he tilted his head to the side playfully. "Ne, Amu, are you actually going to make something for me?"

She stammered, turning her sights from him, crossing her arms over her chest as a pout tugged at her soft lips.

"It's not like I want to... I don't have to be nice to you, you know." That was a lie. She bit her lip. She wanted very much to be nice to him... She wanted to care for him. Amu shook the thought away.

Ikuto sighed, pouting. "Jaa, you don't have to be abusive, Amu," he told her.

Amu grumbled, blushing as she took the teen's hand in her own trembling one, and led him down the hall to the kitchen. Their wet sock padded steps leaving a damp trail behind them, and Amu took extra care not to slip on the polished wood of the floorboards. She could feel her heart racing in the cage of her chest, heat burning in her cheeks, with how openly intimate her touch to Ikuto's hand was. She swallowed nervously; it almost reminded her of early that morning, when she had pet Ikuto's handsome face. She huffed a breath of air, shaking her head back and forth.

Thinking about all that was dangerous. Amu sighed.

Her free hand slid along the wall, fighting to find the light switch through the shadows. With the sun setting behind the already dark storm clouds, the house was unusually dim. Finally, with a quick little flick, the lights flickered on and lit the cheery little room. Amu blinked, her eyes refocusing in the light. She smiled.

"There, that's much better!" Amu announced, earning a low mutter from behind her.

"If you consider being blind better, maybe."

Amu growled a bit, releasing her hold on the teen's hand to turn and face him. "You always have something to complain about, Ikuto!" She told him, eyes fierce, but the look melted when she saw Ikuto smile.

"Ah, but watching you snap like that is kinda cute, Amu," he admitted, making her stammer.

With her blush burning, and a frown pulling at her little lips, Amu swiftly moved away from the teen. She paced over to the cabinets, pulling a kettle from one of the shelves and strided to the sink to promptly fill it with water. Crossing the room again, she placed the now full kettle onto the stove, and lit the burner with the turn of a knob. While the water sat waiting to boil to a bubble, she slipped over to the pantry and pulled out a red and brown box of hot chocolate mix, bringing it to the counter while a soft hum began to thrum in her little chest. Ikuto smiled.

Watching her like this, seeing her do something so kind for him- even if she was a little irritated with him- made Ikuto's heart skip a beat. He always knew Amu was the kindest person he had know, but sometimes it took simple moments like this to really make him realize just how lucky he was to have met her. Like the time she had bought him Taiyaki, or when she would sneak up food to him behind her parents' backs, they were simple moments but they proved that she cared enough about him- about his health- to look out for his wellbeing. And that notion alone, not even counting how much more she had done for him throughout their time together, gave his heart reason to believe that just maybe, he could win her heart over in the end.

After all, no girl had ever made something like this for him before. His heart beat.

Then again... Utau had made plenty sure to scare off any potential hopefuls in his young life. He smirked disdainfully, shaking his head. Out of all the girls, Amu who was by far the most innocent and young, was the only one Utau couldn't keep from him. Ikuto smiled. He knew that it irritated his sister to no end that he had found Amu, but he also knew that this was the first time he had ever taken a true interest in a girl. It made his heart skip another beat just thinking about what the little pink haired girl had come to mean to him. He sighed blissfully.

While Amu bustled around to the china cabinet, Ikuto strode to lean against the counter just beside the stove top, keeping an eye out for the boiling water. He slipped his hands into his pockets, raising a brow at the girl who now appeared to be doing some sort of balancing act.

He spoke, "You need some help, Amu? Before you break something important, like you, for instance."

Amu growled at his quip, choosing to continue with her teetering attempt at reaching the large coffee mugs.

She stood on a small footstool, raised onto her tippy toes and balancing on one foot, as her arm reached desperately for the cups in the back of the top shelf. She bit down on her lip in concentration, glaring with embarrassed golden eyes as if to scare the upper shelf into lowering for her hands. She huffed, hand reaching with fingers stretched as far as she could, and soon her ankle gave way beneath her. With a yelp, she prepared for the fall to the hardwood floor she was about to take. The air rushed from her lungs...

But, to her surprise, she never fell.

Instead, she was caught under the arms by two gentle hands, holding her up and stabilizing her on the stool. Her golden eyes were wide as she looked back, meeting the intense and relieved stare of the young man behind her. He sighed, setting her back to her feet on the stool but never releasing his hold around her little torso. Amu blushed.

"Th-thank you... Ikuto."

"That's twice now today, Amu," Ikuto told her, a smirk audible in his voice.

The girl grumbled, squirming a bit in his hands but he refused to let go regardless. She sighed, turning to look over her shoulder at him again.

"I never asked you to-"

"Ah, but you needed me to. I won't let you fall, my princess," he spoke softly, making her blush heat again.

With a flex of his arm muscles, the teen behind her lifted her off her feet, holding her in front of the cabinet and upper shelf she had been fight to get to. She wiggled in his hold, confused at what he was doing and more than a little embarrassed that he was holding her again. She trembled.

"I-ikuto, what are you doing-"

"Just get what you were trying to reach, Amu..."

The girl blushed, her hands reaching out to take hold of two wide coffee mugs, holding to them securely while the teen lowered her back to the floor beside him. She stared at the cups in her hands, cheeks hot and chest trembling with her uneven breaths. Amu wet her lips.

"Th-thanks for the help, Ikuto," she muttered, still not looking up to him.

"Eh, I am getting use to hauling you around," he smirked, prodding a simple tease at her, and making her blink up at him. He chuckled.

She frowned, stepping away from him and quickly turning her back to him to hide the blush that was only growing brighter. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized that all along, she had been having these moments with Ikuto... She had just never know why they made her so nervous. Now, knowing that she could like him- and did like him- it changed the atmosphere in her heart completely. It felt like leaping out of her chest being this close to the boy she loved, like she could just float away with how light he made her feel. Amu sucked in a breath.

Her heart had been wanting this, even when it felt like it had just happened all of a sudden.

From the stove, a whistling from the kettle told them both that the water was finally ready. Amu hurried to the counter, setting the two mugs down gently and turned to switch off the burner, pulling the steaming kettle to the front burner to remove it from the heat. She lifted two packets of the powdered hot chocolate mix from the box, tearing them open at the tops, and sprinkling them out into the empty coffee mugs. With careful hands, she lifted the kettle from the stove, and poured the steaming liquid into the cups.

A smile touched her lips as the warm chocolatey drink swirled together in the mugs, steam rising from the little cocoa colored pools. She lifted a spoon from the counter she had prepared earlier, dipping it into the sweet hot chocolate, swirling it around in circle to mix the drink completely together. She dipped it into the other mug, doing the same, and lifted the spoon delicately to watch it drip lightly. Amu giggled seemingly lost in her own world, and she let the warm chocolate covered spoon slip between her lips, licking up the remnants.

Ikuto watched her silently, softly smiling. She was really cute like that, so happy and content with something so simply pleasing to a child as sweets. He slowly strode to stand beside her, leaning down on the counter next to her and resting his chin on his folded arms. He blinked, staring at the cups wordlessly for a moment before he spoke.

"Ne, Amu... Can I have a taste, too?" he asked softly.

She blushed, nodding and reaching for the silverware drawer to pull out another spoon for him, but his hand gently caught hers before she could. She blinked, looking into the deep, night dark eyes of the teen. He simply stared for a moment, holding her sights to his. She gasped.

"You don't need to dirty another spoon, Amu..." he told her, eyes flickering to the one already in her hand and then back to her wide golden eyes. He waited.

Amu followed his eyes, listening to him speak, and her blush quadrupled in intensity. Her eyes widened. _Use her own spoon...?_

_An indirect kiss!_ She could hear her inner character shout in her head. She bit her lip, looking back to Ikuto.

"But... I already licked this spoon, Ikuto..." she stuttered, blushing hotly.

"I know." Ikuto said simply.

Amu trembled, hesitantly nodding to the teen. Did he honestly want to use the same spoon as her? He didn't mind... Or, was it that he didn't realize what an indirect kiss was?

Nervously, she dipped the spoon into the mug, gently lifting it from the hot liquid with a small amount steaming in the little scoop of the cutlery. She held it out to him, waiting for his own hand to close around the handle and finish the trip to his mouth, but to her surprise he remained still merely watching her. He blinked slowly, long lashes dusting his cheeks, and Amu gasped as he parted his pale lips slightly. Night dark depths flickered from the spoon to her own eyes and back, as the teen simply waited.

Amu's heart sputtered. He... He wanted her to feed him? She blushed hotly, and tried to ignore the way her heart fought to break through her ribcage. Her tongue swept across her lips, wetting them nervously, as her hand trembled slightly. Slowly her hand moved toward the boy's mouth, but as soon as she came close enough to nearly touch his lips she paused, squeezing her eyes shut.

She sucked in a shaky breath, biting her lower lip. "I-ikuto... I... I don't think I can-"

Her eyes fluttered open in surprise, as Ikuto lifted his chin from his arms, moving forward a bit to capture the spoon in his mouth and swallow the small amount of warm chocolate. Amu sat frozen, staring incredulously and bashfully as the teen thrummed a contented hum in his throat, one not unlike a purr. _He had actually done it..._ Her heart thundered, and her cheeks flushed hotly.

Ikuto pulled back, releasing the spoon from his mouth, licking his lips and smirking up at her. His eyes held hers, and he nodded once to the shocked girl.

"Mm... Delicious, Amu" Ikuto murmurmered, and Amu reddened further; the way he said her name after making it sound as if he were calling her delicious.

She lowered her eyes shyly, nodding to him and pulling back to stand by the sink, depositing the spoon into the basin and crossing her arms over her little chest nervously. She breathed in shakily, slowly releasing the breath before speaking.

"Good... I'm happy you like it. Let's just hurry upstairs so we can change out of these wet clothes," she muttered as cooly as she could, turning her head to the side, and trying her best to change the topic and make the atmosphere less suffocating. Ikuto smiled, standing straight once more.

He nodded to her silently, watching as she moved away again, this time to grab the tea tray from the cupboard. She turned to him, walking back over to the counter and set the tray down, moving the two cups onto it and attempted to lift it. Her hands were still trembling, her nerves frayed considerably, and the tray teetered in her hold until she set it down before she had the chance to drop or spill it. She sighed in relief, putting a hand to her forehead.

Ikuto felt his heart jolt as she nearly sent the tray tumbling, and he sighed in unison with her, stepping over to her side. "Amu, let me carry it."

She blinked up at him for a moment, embarrassment for her stumble and nervousness from the hypnotizing quality of his eyes making her stutter weakly, and she mumbled a quiet 'okay' and nodded to him.

Amu wrung her hands together, stepping away so that Ikuto could easily reach the tray of steaming hot chocolate, her cheeks flushed red and her eyes downcast. She didn't know what was wrong with her. One moment she was mad at him, the next he was doing something nice like catching her fall, and then he goes and embarrasses her out of her mind. He had pushed her to the limit of her composure with the spoon situation, and she wasn't even sure why. It was a strange thing to do, yes, but she had fully caressed his face the prior morning. If anything, a spoon was less contact, yet the thought that he was essentially licking the same thing as her had her heart thundering like a drum.

It was an indirect kiss... Amu trembled, that heat burning in her chest again like it had the night before. She shook her head furiously, brushing the thought away. Right now, she still hadn't settled things with Tadase... Ikuto couldn't become more than the close friend he had always been.

At least, she knew he shouldn't.

Her heart may have had other ideas yet, though. She sighed.

"Ne, Amu... Do you want me to take these to your room now?" Ikuto questioned, standing with the tray balanced on one hand like a waiter might.

She meekly nodded, "Yeah, that's fine," she told him.

The boy watched her with a brow raised, taking in her expression with a hint of confusion in his own. He spoke softly, his tone bored despite the concern he felt.

"You alright, Amu?"

Her blush glowed on her cheeks, the heat in her chest burning and sending tingles throughout her body, and she clenched her hands into fists nervously. Once again she tried to focus her energy into silencing her heart for the moment, knowing that while she really should follow it, hurting Tadase more right now would do nothing to fix their friendship. So for now, she breathed, Ikuto was simply her best friend.

Or, perhaps, not all _too _simply.

Either way, she wanted to be able to tell Ikuto her feelings when she was ready, acting any differently now would only give her away before she could sort things out. Amu sighed, treating Ikuto like just a friend would be difficult now that the blinders were off of her heart, but for her sake, for his and for Tadase's... She would have to try.

Ikuto yawned, raising his other hand to stifle it, and drew Amu back to the real world. She stammered, waving a hand to him in an embarrassed way of dismissing his question.

"Eh heh, me? I'm totally fine!" she forced a smiled, fidgeting with her hands.

His dark brow quirked again, but he gave a shrug of his shoulders. Once again, he had that feeling that Amu had something he didn't need to know quite yet. It hurt, surely, but Ikuto could trust that she would show her inner character to him like always when it mattered most. She always let him in, in some way or another. He sighed.

Sometimes, he felt that, that little girl's feelings were even more complex than the matured thoughts of the adult world. He was just glad that she could focus on child's issues, and not worry about the heavier things of the grown-up people around her- himself included.

The young man drew in a breath, turning to the kitchen's doorway, and paused to glance over his shoulder at Amu. He smiled. She was so innocent, pure and good. He couldn't help the way it made his heart skip a beat. The girl he had fallen for, was truly a little angel.

"Ne, Amu, are you coming?" He said.

Amu opened her mouth to speak, but a thought from earlier robbed her voice when it struck her train of thoughts and derailed it completely. She was lucky to still have the short attention span of a kid, and were she conscious of it, she would have been more than grateful for the distractions to her feelings it could cause. Slowly a smile broke forth on her lips, the idea of curling up in the warmth of the space heater making her spirits lift, as she remembered the object she had once thought to gather. She looked up, her eyes meeting Ikuto's night dark depths, and she nodded to him quickly.

"I'll be right up, I need to grab something," she told him.

The teen watched her for a moment, but soon moved to the staircase after a small nod to her. Amu waited, before scurrying off to the stairs as well, only instead of ascending the flight, she turned to the closet that led to the space under the stair supports. Her hand closed around the knob and she pulled the door open with a creak of protest from the hinges. The musty smell of the rarely opened space made her nose scrunch slightly, but she managed to step inside and pull the draw chain for the light, clicking it on and lighting the darkness.

Golden eyes searched the clutter, ghosting over random articles of junk and the other, before falling on the object she sought. Reaching for it quickly, she pulled the dish-shaped heater into her arms, mindful to gather up its cord before stepping back out of the room and shutting off the light. The door creaked again, and Amu pushed it shut happily, glad to be spending no more time in the creepy little hole of a closet. She shivered, only now conjuring up monsters that could have gotten her from the dark.

Quickly, she bolted to the stairs, her sock covered feet padding up the steps as fast as she could manage with the odd shaped object in her arms. With a nervous shudder when she reached her door, she lifted a hand to the knob, pausing for a brief moment to breathe in and even her heartbeat. She smiled shyly.

Tonight, she would focus on getting warmed up and having fun with Ikuto, they could talk to her parents when they got home, and she could have a normal evening with the boy who was her best friend...

_...For now._ She blushed.

And, she thought, when were nights with him ever normal?

* * *

Lots of Amuto moments... I'm not sorry for shameless fluff.


	17. Warmth

And... Four!

I hope you guys are enjoying these, I know I had fun writing them. Again, not sorry for the fluffy Amuto here, I felt like I hadn't given you guys enough yet. Please, let me know what you think about the new chapters, I would love to hear your thoughts!

I do not own Shugo Chara!.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 17: Warmth**

Ikuto stood in Amu's room quietly, having set the tray of hot chocolate to rest on her small table, and now waited for her to come up the stairs after him.

He couldn't help but let his thoughts stray to the way she had been acting all day, the things he felt she was hiding from him, and for a moment he almost felt the need to be mildly upset with her. But, truly, there were things about him- things he had suffered at Easter's hands- that he wouldn't want anyone knowing. Especially, not a thirteen year old girl. Ikuto sighed.

Everyone had things they'd rather keep to themselves. For him, it was the stories behind scars and breaks that he didn't want to hear the pity or response to. They were in his past, things that- thanks to Amu- he'd never have to suffer again. It couldn't hurt him now, and it surely would not stop him from living on. He had made it through all of that, how could he excuse himself to give up anytime soon? He could only hope that Amu's secret, wasn't one that could hurt her.

If it was, he would rather die to find out then let her carry on to suffer in silence.

Then again, what happened could be nothing. It could be as simple as hurt feelings or childhood strain on friendships. That was at least what he hoped it was. Even if he never wanted Amu to be upset, it was at least something he could help with when she let him in on it...

And she had promised she would.

Ikuto smiled; Amu was so precious to him.

Starlit eyes slipped to stare out the panes of the sliding door, watching the rain pour down, and he shivered at the thought of the cold, despite the warmth the young girl brought to him. Ikuto hoped that Amu came upstairs soon, so he could enjoy the liquid warmth of the hot chocolate she had made for him. He smirked, remembering her blush when he had tasted the drink off of her spoon. She was so cute, he mused.

His thoughts silenced though, as he heard the pattering on the staircase, and he expected the door the open any moment. The girl on the other side of the door seemed to wait a minute before opening the door, and Ikuto couldn't help but be curious as to why. What was it she had gone to get, in the first place? The teen waited.

After a brief moment, the door pushed open softly, and the girl stepped in wordlessly, a blush tinting her cheeks and a space heater wrapped up in her arms. Ikuto glanced from her nervous golden eyes, to the object in her hands and back, smiling as he understood why she had gotten it. He shivered again, just the thought of the heat he could soon feel making his skin seem even colder. He whispered to her.

"Ah, so that's how you plan to warm us up...?"

She reddened further, nodding even though she didn't understand why his eyes seemed to smolder and glitter to such a simple thought. It was just a heater... She sighed.

Stepping further into the room, she set the device down on the floor gently, tugging the cord over to the wall to find an outlet. Ikuto watched her, a small smile on his lips, as she scooted back over to turn the dial on the top of the heater. A smile of relief met her lips as well, as they both watched the coils heat and redden, slowly radiating heat from its core. With a happy sigh, the girl turned to Ikuto.

"That should get us warmed up now," she told him, as she stood gracefully.

She strode over to her bedside table, depositing her sleeping eggs into the basket gently, pulling the holster from her hip and letting it drop to her bed when it was empty. A thought struck her, and she turned to Ikuto, whispering softly.

"Ikuto... Where is Yoru? I haven't seen him since this morning..." she thought aloud, her golden eyes glowing in the dark of her unlit room when they met his, making Ikuto's heart beat.

"He's out with his cat posse..." he spoke, sounding as if that sentence was the most normal thought to have. Amu smiled.

Only Yoru and Ikuto were so in tuned with feline nature like that.

Ikuto whispered, "What about your parents...? Will they be back in time to tell them about the trip?" Now it was Ikuto's turn to ask a question, his voice truly curious.

Amu lifted a finger to her chin, tapping it there thoughtfully, and began a small verbal train of thoughts aloud.

"Hm, let's see... It's Thursday, and Thursday is curry night, and I know Mama said she would need to pick up meat at the store before tonight... So, Mama probably had Papa drive her to the store... And, Ami loves to ride the little horsey ride by the door, which usually always makes trips to the store take longer so... They're probably going to be stuck there for a little while." Amu finally concluded, making Ikuto sweatdrop at her.

He sighed, shaking his head.

"You know, a simple 'yes' or 'no', would be alright."

Amu blushed, her cheeks puffing a bit.

"Shut up and drink your hot chocolate," she fumed hushedly, turning her head away from him and crossing her arms over her chest. Ikuto smirked.

"I would..." he told her, "...but right now I am freezing to death in these wet clothes. Will you help me take them off, Amu?"

Amu's face grew brighter yet, her blush reaching from her hairline to her toes, and her jaw nearly hit the floor. _Again with the undressing?_ Her mind stammered.

Tonight would definitely not be normal, Amu realized.

She collected her jaw from the ground, stuttering. "You are fully capable of taking care of that yourself, you lazy housecat!" Amu fumed.

She heard a sound not unlike a smooth rumble of low bells, and her eyes flickered up to see Ikuto raise a hand to stifle his chuckle. Amu pouted, turning her back to him in an angry huff.

"I won't look, so get changed, you perverted old man," she growled, shutting her eyes tightly despite not needing to.

Ikuto rose a brow, his smirk fully intact regardless of her attempted insult. He was tempted to tease her further, but after a moment he complied with no argument. He truly was cold, and delaying in getting out of his soaked clothing wasn't worth on last quip, he decided.

With numb fingers, he worked to pull the tight- and now more than a little clingy- fabric of his long sleeved shirt from his body, dropping the black heap of damp material to the floor beside him. He shivered a bit, feeling goosebumps rise on his skin, pricking coldly. Quicker than he would have normally, but with more difficulty, he tugged his wet skinny jeans from his hips and kicked them off to join his shirt on the floor. He sighed, glancing down at himself. Even his boxers had absorbed some of the moisture that his jeans had soaked up.

He frowned, pursing his lips.

Finally, he whispered to the girl on the other side of the room. "Ne, Amu, I'm going to change my boxers too... So, please, no peeking."

Amu's body heated with a head to toe blush, and for a second she didn't remember how to breath properly. She thought about chiding him harshly for making such a perverted joke, but listening to his voice...

He honestly sounded nervous, like he really meant what he had said.

_So, even someone like Ikuto can feel shy sometimes..._ Amu thought, her blush burning hotly.

Finally, she nodded her head, whispering back. "I won't look, don't worry, Ikuto."

It felt so strange, for once being the one to say that, like they had swapped places somehow. It occurred to her, that though she thought she knew Ikuto pretty well, she really had yet to understand his emotions... And Amu couldn't help but wonder...

Did Ikuto feel the same things she did?

She honestly didn't know.

The teen sighed, silently thanking Amu for taking him seriously just this once, and he strode over to his beg to gather his new clothes before he stripped completely. With a final glance up to the girl for assurance, Ikuto hooked his fingers through the waistband of his undergarments, tugging them down over his hips. He quickly shimmied out of them, kicking them to the side with his other clothes, and pulled on his new pair. Hesitantly, his starlit eyes rose to check on Amu again, breathing in relief to find her still facing the closet.

The boy slid into his new jeans, thankful to be fully covered, and he whispered over to Amu softly.

"Ne, Amu, I'm decent now."

Amu breathed softly, nodding slightly in understanding and slowly turned to face the teen once more, her blush burning and her eyes lowered shyly. A yelp fell from her lips as she glanced up to him though, and her little hands quickly rose to cover her eyes while her mind stammered.

There, on the other side of her room just in front of her desk, stood Ikuto... Completely shirtless and garbed only in a slim pair of dark pants. The way the dim grey light of the waning day casted shadows over the planes of his lean muscled stomach and chest only accentuated the shape of his upper body, making Amu heat head to toe in a rush. She squeezed her eyes shut, already mortified to have looked for as long as she had.

Ikuto was right, she deflated, she really was a pervert.

But, it wasn't really her fault, she summarized, Ikuto was the one being so openly dangerous. She swallowed nervously, keeping her hands over her eyes now.

"I-ikuto! You said you were decent!" she stuttered, sounding more like she was the one in the wrong than he. Ikuto smirked.

Slowly the teen moved to stride across the room, coming to stand just before the hiding girl. He lowered a bit, reaching her height and let his face lean in close to hers, letting his dark forelocks brush with her pink fringe. He whispered.

"Ah, so is this less than decent, Amu...?"

Amu jumped a bit, now realizing how close he was, and she dared to peek through her fingers at him. She gasped. His eyes were so... _Mesmerizing._ She could hardly think, the way he stared so intently into her own, and she tried to blink away the nervousness she felt.

_Ikuto..._

Shyly, she mumbled, "Why...?"

Ikuto blinked slowly, his starlit eyes burning with some sort of immense emotion as they always did. He spoke, "Why, what... Amu?"

She shivered, covering her eyes fully once more and turning her head to the side away from him. Softly, she murmured in uncertainty.

"Why all of a sudden... Like my character completely flipped," she whispered.

The teen's brows furrowed, unsure of what Amu was trying to say. He breathed in slowly, drawing in air to fill his lungs. She was acting so differently toward him lately, things that she had never done before happening more and more. When he had first come back, she seemed normal, but as the days passed their moments had become less and less of just him pushing their limits... Now, she was allowing it more than ever, and like the night before and early this morning, she was responding and pushing right along with him. She would blush and recoil nervously when things got to be too much more than she could handle, of course, but the point was that she had never gone that far before.

That first night he spent with her, she had nearly consented to pulling his shirt off, the next she had allowed him to take her on a date, and just last night she had drawn close shyly to tell him that he caused a heat in her that she didn't understand- opening up her heart for him. For Amu, what she had said was fairly sense making, her character really had flipped. The embarrassed nature she always showed to him, now had something else underlining it.

Before, he could've guess that it was just because he was a boy and she was a girl. Something completely nerve racking to someone her age when she was figuring out attraction, and being close to him all the time was probably no help to her nerves back then. But now, there was something beyond that, something that was making their time together heat even more than it ever had. It even made his heart skip a beat.

Something between them was changing, he realized. And with how she had been acting this morning after the X egg... Ikuto had to wonder if it had something to do with them. What was it she thought now?

_What was it that was changing her?_

Ikuto sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, and focused on coming back to reality. He whispered,

"Amu... It's okay to change. Our feelings, they don't always stay the same, but we're still the same people," he told her, trying his hand at being insightful, despite how unfitting it was on his voice.

Amu stilled, her breathing silencing, as she recalled a time when she had made the same conclusion. Back when she had first become Guardian...

_Even if the sky changes colors... It's still the same sky._

She smiled, letting her hands lower slowly, and her eyes met with Ikuto's. The girl nodded once, her blush returning. Ikuto was right. Her new feelings might be different from how she was use to feeling, and they might be confusing, but they were still a part of her. She was still Hinamori Amu. She smiled brighter, releasing the breath she had been holding.

"Thank you... Ikuto," she spoke, her pink brows furrowing after a moment as she glanced down at his chest, her cheeks glowing red. "Y-you should still put a shirt on, perverted catboy..."

Ikuto rose a brow, standing up straight.

"_Catboy_?" he asked.

Amu giggled at his expression and nodded, but quickly tried to return to her displeased façade, her voice trying to mimic her earlier frustration with him.

"Just shut up and get dressed..." she muttered.

The teen chuckled softly, moving away from her to grab his long sleeved shirt and tug it over his head. She waited until he'd finished, before asking him to keep his eyes shut now, and he complied easily. Amu blushed, nodding a silent thanks to the older boy, happy that though he decided to be a pervert every now and again, he'd still listen when she truly meant what she asked of him. He was kind like that...

Ikuto always just sort of knew when not to push things and when he could tease her without truly scaring or hurting her. She smiled. Ikuto, really was a good person.

Quickly, she stripped of her own wet clothing, pulling on a warm set of leggings and comfortable shorts, and slipped a warm knitted sweater over her head. It felt much better to be out of those wet clothes, and she couldn't have been more thankful that they got home when they did, before she drowned in her own uniform. Amu sighed, picking up her laundry to hang them by the closet handles, hoping that they might dry a bit if she did so. Nervously, she glanced back to Ikuto and whispered over to him.

"I'm all done now, Ikuto."

The boy nodded, his starlit eyes fluttering open and blinking to readjust to the dim light of the room. He smiled at her, glancing up and down her new outfit. Amu was always a trendy little strawberry, he smirked inwardly. He wondered if it was because of her mother's sense of style for her, or Amu's own at this point.

Shrugging at the thought, Ikuto took a few long steps over to the bed, and reached down to the fluffy, neatly made covers. With a swift tug, he pulled the plush, pink comforter from the mattress and turned to Amu with it gathered in his long arms. Silently, he strode over to the heater, sitting before its warm light with his knees bent in front of him and his sock covered feet planted on the floor. Widening the opening between his legs, he reached to tug the comforter around his shoulders, holding a gathering of the fabric in each hand and resting his wrists on his knees.

With his thin form as support, he had successfully made a tent from the bedding. As his eyes settled on the reddish orange light of the space heater, he spoke softly.

"Come here."

Amu hesitated, unsure of what he was talking about, and she stuttered to the teen.

"Ikuto, you made a mess of my bed... What are you doing?"

He sighed, a small smirk on his lips as he rephrased what he had said before, his eyes flickering over to look at the girl.

"Come here, Amu... Warm up with me," he told her.

She blushed, wringing her hands together nervously, and she paused after a single step. Her heart was thundering so loud in her ears she could barely hear anything else, and she bit her lip. She squeezed her eyes shut, steeling her nerves.

_Different colors... Same sky._

Her golden eyes flickered back open, and she took the remaining steps to Ikuto, kneeling down by the heater. However, once she had gotten close enough, her heart seized up and her mind sputtered a bit. She blinked looking at the way the young man was sitting.

His eyes glimmered in the dark, and he lifted a hand with the blanket as if to open a doorway for her. She paused, eyes lowering to stare at the floor, but she soon scooted forward into his blanket tent. Amu sat with her back to him between his long legs, facing the heater, with her limbs tucked as close to her as possible so that she would not accidently touch any part of him. She shivered, but she really wasn't sure if it was because of the cold prickling from her skin or how close she was to Ikuto. It was probably both.

Suddenly, Ikuto shifted behind her, and she gasped as two arms wound their way around her and pulled her backward. Her back pressed to something firm and lean, breathing softly and a strong but uneven pounding beating within. She froze, her whole body heated and flushed, and as cold as she was, she began to think that she might just catch on fire. Ikuto... He was right behind her, against her, and holding her close to him like she was something precious. She swallowed nervously, biting her lip.

"I-ikuto... Is this really alright?" she mumbled quietly.

A low vibrating thrummed in the teen's chest at her back, as Ikuto hummed in thought for a moment, his voice finally coming out plainly. As if he was more than certain in himself.

"Jaa... You and I are friends. So, this is alright, isn't it?" he breathed, leaning closer if it were possible, and rested his chin on her thin shoulder. "... Besides, I love you, Amu."

The girl gasped, gnawing on her lip a tad more, and her eyes lowering to the floor in shame. He could say it so easily, yet she could not even admit it aloud to him. She had to wait, she had to fix her mistakes first... But, she wanted to say it so badly. She whimpered quietly, shoving the thought to the side.

She could not say it yet, but she could thank him for still loving her despite how blind she had been. _Ikuto..._ A small bittersweet smile tugged at her lips, and she nodded, making a sound of understanding in her throat.

"Hn," she responded, making Ikuto smile faintly, and he nuzzled against her neck like a cat.

He sighed happily, "Good."

Amu stilled, allowing the teen to cuddle her close, and for a moment she let the pattering of the rain outside the window give means to wash away her worries. In this moment, it was just her, Ikuto, and her heart's true feelings. She smiled, her eyes still lowered to the floor. Like she had thought before, at least for tonight, she could focus on having fun with Ikuto... Like she honestly wanted to be able to.

After this trip, she would fix everything...

Then, she could tell Ikuto. She smiled.

After a short while of silence, Ikuto had release her to reach over to the small table, and pull her mug from the try. He took a moment to lean back at take a sip of his own warm drink every now and then, while she held her own steaming cup close to her chest in both hands, warming her numb fingers and breathing in the chocolatey scent. And it was like that, in each others closeness, they remained until the sun had fully set and the sound of her parents entering the house below them caused them to move from their place together. They shifted cautiously, sitting modestly by the table with the heater warming them from behind, waiting until they heard her mother call for them up the stairs.

Ikuto sighed, taking a last drink from his mug, and licked his lips.

"Ne, Amu, are you ready?" he asked.

Amu smiled. Maybe she wasn't ready, and maybe she was, all she knew was that she wasn't going to get this chance with Ikuto again. And that, in her heart, made it worth asking and dealing with the drama.

_She could handle it._

They both visibly flinched as her father wailed something about, 'his little sparrow upstairs alone with a dirty boy' from below them, and Amu sighed.

Well, she hoped it would be worth it.

She turned her head to the teen, nodding with a sheepish smile.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

And that concludes our four chapter special, I do hope you enjoyed it fully! It has been a lot of fun working on these and writing along with your reading! See you soon!

_Ps. If I were Amu, I would have friggin' tackled the naked Ikuto in my room... Ah, the opportunities she squanders._

_~Aroun_


	18. Permission

Heeeello! Sorry for the long break guys, I have been working furiously to get a cosplay done before the end of the month. It's going well, but I still have a lot to do.

Anyway, thank you all for being so supportive. I cannot thank you enough for how much it brings to my life to know I have wonderful readers like you all. I promise, I will have more fluffy Amuto for you, to thank you for reading along. I love you all, truly.

I do not own Shugo Chara!. If I did... Well, Ikuto would have gotten Amu and I would get to have him. Ah, but what fate we have. Please enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you thought of it.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 18: Permission**

"Mama please, I promise we'll be good!"

Midori watched her daughter with a concerned expression, confusion and hesitation evident in her eyes. Her child had just come out of nowhere after dinner and had asked her if she could hop on a plane with her teenage boyfriend and fly to another prefacture on their own. It was more than a little hard to swallow, and she could have nearly joined her husband in frantically panicking around the room, but she managed to swallow her nerves for a moment and try to hear them out. She straightened her glasses, sighing.

"Amu-chan, can you please tell me again why you need to fly to Okinawa _tomorrow?_ What about school, and the bookshop?" Midori pressed.

Amu defended quickly, trying to put on her most convincing plea she could.

"Mama, I told you, it's Utau's birthday this weekend! I already talked to my school this afternoon, but they told me you'd have to call in for me before they could give me permission. I also talked to Miyamoto-sama, and he was fine with me taking some time off..." she rambled.

Midori sighed, her eyes sliding to look over the still silent young man at her daughter's side.

"Ikuto-kun, why does Amu-chan need to go? Forgive me, I'm just a little confused about all this."

Ikuto met her eyes easily, a small smile meeting his lips and he watched as a blush touched the woman's cheeks. He smirked inwardly. As long as he had her distracted, he might be able to pull off a convincing enough answer. He spoke evenly.

"Amu and my little sister Utau are close friends, and she really wanted Amu to go with her for her birthday party... Since she has never really had a friend to do something like that with before." he added, eyes solemn, and Midori nodded.

"I see..." she whispered.

"... I was suppose to fly down there to meet up with her as a surprise present, but then Amu told me that Utau really wanted to see her, but that she couldn't go because she didn't have the time or money to go. So, I offered to take her with us- I will pay for her, of course, mrs. Hinamori." Ikuto continued, hooking her mother with his explanation, and Amu rolled her eyes at his obvious abuse of his looks.

Ikuto would never change. She sighed.

Midori remained silent, unlike her husband who was now running frantic laps through the kitchen, and Ikuto took the moment to speak up on last time- hoping to nail it with his last assurance.

"We will have separate rooms, and my sister's manager, Sanjo Yukari, will be there as well as Amu's elementary teacher Nikaidou Yuu. They're there to chaperone."

Midori's eyes lit with a hint of comfort, and she nodded silently, taking in the information slowly. After a moment, both Ikuto and Amu holding their breath nervously, she smiled brightly at the teen. She spoke.

"I see, well that makes me feel much better about this, Ikuto-kun. I'm just worried, Amu has never done anything like this before..."

"I understand, mrs. Hinamori," he smiled. "My sister has never had this chance either," unspoken- _and neither have I. Please let Amu go with me._ He waited.

Amu finally spoke up again, her hands together in a begging fashion. She pleaded, "Please Mama, I really want to go to a beach party! I have never been to a birthday like that before..."

Midori sighed, smiling at her daughter, but Amu continued.

"... Besides... How lame would it be if I told people at school I didn't go with Utau... She's an idol, and all. I'd be totally uncool." The girl pursed her lips, turning her head to the side and flipped her hair. Her cool and spicy attitude taking care of the rest.

It seemed to work, despite Ikuto sweatdropping at her sudden switch in character, and her mother and father's eyes gleamed like happy stars. The came together to squeal, regardless that her father had to bolt from the other side of the kitchen to do so. Ikuto sighed. He really just didn't get it. This family was insane.

"Cool and spicy!" they both cried in union, and now Amu joined Ikuto in sweatdropping.

Her parents were hopeless...

Amu cleared her throat, keeping her cool attitude as it seemed that had worked the best on her parental figures. She muttered calmly, hands in her pockets.

"So what, can I go or what?"

Her mother calmed herself, and Tsumugu rolled back off to the floor to wail once he realized that his little girl still planned on leaving him. Midori pursed her lips in thought, lifting a finger to her chin to tap it there. She shifted her weight to the other leg, swaying a few times as she weighed the thought. Finally she looked back to the kids, speaking slowly.

"Amu-chan, I wish I had known about this all earlier... I mean, it's just so sudden..." she paused.

Both kids could feel their hearts sink, and they waited to hear her give the final 'no'. Ikuto cursed inwardly, if he had been less hesitant and just told Amu like he had wanted to two nights ago, this could have been avoided.

Midori sighed, continuing. "... If I had known beforehand, I could have thought about it more... I could have at least ordered you some clothes from our monthly catalogue... Now, I suppose you are just going to have to go shopping for some cute clothes. And there was such a cute swimsuit for you in this month's issue for half off... What a shame." She finished sounding quite despondent, but a smile had grown to cross the line of her lips and her eyes sparkled.

Slowly, Ikuto and Amu drew in what she was saying, and a smile bloomed wide across the girl's little lips. Ikuto smirked; he knew that her mother wouldn't let him down... It wasn't like he had been worried or anything.

Amu squealed, jumping up to hug her mother. "Thank you, Mama! Thank you so much!"

Midori giggled with her daughter, hugging her back and trying to weather the happy jumping of the little girl in her arms. Her eyes slid to Ikuto over her glasses, glittering with trust, and she smiled at him with a nod. She knew that Ikuto was a good boy, he had proved so, with as far as he always went to be nice to their family and be safe with Amu. In the time that he had stayed there months ago, she was shocked to find that a teenage boy truly had done nothing more than seek shelter with the chance he had with her daughter. God knows what else could've happened, but she trusted when they said that it hadn't. Ikuto, was not much like other teen boys she had ever known.

They were good kids, she knew.

Ikuto nodded back to her in thanks, a smirk on his lips as his eyes danced with all the happy light Amu was displaying in a more modest show. He didn't have her childish energy... And he doubted it would be half as cute as Amu even if he did. He chuckled.

Midori waited until Amu had calmed, smiling as she spoke to her.

"Amu-chan, you have a lot to get together before tomorrow. I will take care of calling in to your school, but you will have to go in to pick up your makeup work... And then there is shopping to do," she paused, and Ikuto took a moment to speak up.

"I will take her out shopping, if you don't mind, mrs. Hinamori..." Ikuto told her, but paused a moment to think, smirking faintly. "Then again... I doubt I have half the sense of style that you do... Maybe I could take you both out?"

He smiled. Building trust was important for this to work out, he knew, and it would take time- time he didn't have. Still, he could at least try to make this as easy as possible.

Midori's eyes lit up, and she thought aloud for a moment, "Well, I finished my article for this week, and Ami will be at pre-school for the afternoon... I don't see why we couldn't go," she smiled brightly. "... Though, Ikuto-kun I don't believe you have a car," she giggled, and Ikuto blushed.

He supposed it would be her taking them out, instead.

A sound of thundering footsteps brought Tsumugu to stand just before the teen, and animated amount of tears streaming down his face. He blubbered, trying to form words."L-listen here, you d-dirty _boy_-" he stressed the word "boy", trembling through his threat until an action by the teen silenced him.

Ikuto stood in front of him, bowing lowly at the waist with his arms pressed straight to his sides formally and eyes lowered as he spoke, his voice smooth and respectful.

"Sir, please entrust your daughter, Hinamori Amu, to I, Tsukiyomi Ikuto. I promise I would protect her even if it costs me my life..." he paused, standing straight and looking into her father's eyes.

Tsumugu whimpered, his mouth hanging open in shock, and he meekly pulled his hands to his chest to wring them together nervously. He didn't understand why the enemy was suddenly sounding so... sincere. Ikuto continued.

"... Hinamori-san, I have a little sister near Amu's age, and she is my little girl... I understand the fear of a boy doing something to them. That's why, I can tell you that I won't ever hurt your little girl in anyway. She is too precious." Ikuto held his stare, his voice understanding and calm.

Tsumugu stuttered, unsure of what to say, before he finally wiped away his tears and smiled as he held out a hand in an offering of acceptance. Ikuto nodded curtly in thanks, taking hold of the man's hand, and gave one firm shake. An understanding made, man to man.

Midori watched with Amu from the sidelines, a hand over her heart as she smiled at the pair before her. Her husband had finally seen the good in Ikuto she had. He had finally seen that they could trust Ikuto, and that their trust was all the boy wanted. She whispered,

"Oh my... Well done, Ikuto-kun."

The teen glanced over to Midori, his eyes drifting from hers to Amu's wide golden ones, taking in the shock there. He smirked knowingly, raising an eyebrow at her, and she blushed pink before smiling faintly in return. He knew that pulling out all the stops like this was more than a little too cheesy, but he only had this one last night to make it work, and he had no intentions of giving up his chances. If one were to ask Yoru...

… Ikuto was one hell of a stubborn fool.

His smirk grew, and the teen shook his head a bit. Well, being stubborn in this instance was worth it.

Amu slowly stood, walking over to her father, smiling sheepishly. He looked down to her with watery eyes, and waited for her to speak, his lip trembling.

"Papa," she began, "...even if you don't trust Ikuto, please trust me. I promise, everything will be fine. I will call you all the time, and I'll even send you pictures- of the birds there, too, if you want..." Amu offered, smiling.

Tsumugu's lip trembling soon became all out wailing sobs, and he dropped to his knees to wrap himself around her middle, anchoring her to the floor. He cried,

"Daddy's little sparrow is fleeing the nest! Oh Amu-chan, Papa's never going to forget you! Your voice, your sweet little voice! Your attitude! How cool and spicy you are-!" he went on, and Amu tuned him out with a muttered, her soul being squeezed from her body, and this time Ran, Miki and Suu weren't there to bother to catch it.

"You act like I'm never coming back..." She wheezed.

"-Never coming back?!" her father wailed, completely missing her point.

Amu sighed; her father was completely hopeless...

But, she had to love him. The little girl smiled.

When the house had calmed a bit, and Tsumugu had taken to whimpering on the floor wordlessly, Midori turned back to her kids- She smiled. Her kids. Ikuto was really earning himself a place in her heart... And he was so handsome too, she blushed. She put her hand on Amu's shoulder, looking over to Ikuto with a sheepish smile.

"Ikuto-kun, are you sure this is alright? We will pay for Amu to go, it really isn't your responsibility-"

Ikuto smiled honestly, meeting her eyes with a deeper meaning being conveyed. "It is fine. I think you know I owe you this, and so much more..." His night dark depths flickered down to Amu, and Midori smiled in understanding.

"If you are certain," she told him.

Ikuto nodded, his smile small but unmissed. Knowing that her mother supported him, trusted him, it made his spirit lift in a way he could hardly describe. Her mother, as hard as it must've been for a parent to do, was allowing him a chance to be with her daughter. There were so many reasons, if he were in her position, that he would have told himself to hit the road. Yet somehow, being honest despite how difficult it was, had proven himself redeemable in some small way. Somehow, her mother actually thought he might be good for her daughter...

And that thought, was enough to make him dance and sing in joy.

Not that he would torture Amu or her parent's eyes with the sight. He scoffed inwardly.

_This was so much more than he could have hoped for._

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, and Amu and Ikuto both bid her parents a fond good night before ascending the stairs to her room. They stepped through the threshold wordlessly, letting the door slip closed quietly with a small click, and Amu strode to the middle of her room robotically. She was more focused on her pounding heart than the actual action of walking, and Ikuto couldn't help but smirk at her.

The girl clicked through the motions of human behavior, breathing raggedly as her smile slowly grew brighter. She could feel the happy tingles of victory crawling through her veins, and it lit a static fluttering in her belly. _Her parents had actually said yes..._

With a happy squeal she bounced up into the air, making Ikuto flinch a bit at the sudden movement. She laughed hoping up and down, celebrating and spinning around like a little kid. Ikuto sighed, his smirk growing as she giggled, and he could honestly say he felt like doing the same as her at this point. It did feel a bit like he was dreaming, but even if he was, he wasn't about to start doubting it now. Better that he let it last as long as he could.

"Ikuto, I can't believe they said yes!" she told him, smiling and panting as she calmed her celebrating.

"I can... If I didn't, I think I'd rather be dead," he retorted with a smirk, making the girl roll her eyes.

Amu's ruckus must've stirred her guardians from their eggs, because soon the little shells cracked, and four sets of eyes peered sleepily into Amu's room. Ran was the first to emerge from her egg pink little egg, slowly gaining altitude and floating over to the preteen's side. The little cheerleader rubbed her eyes tiredly, yawning wide.

"Amu-chan... Why are you cheering so loud?" she mumbled sleepily.

Amu turned from Ikuto, smiling at her guardian character brightly. She cupped her hands around the little pink character, gripping her gently and twirling around with her in her arms. Ran squeaked, trying to squeeze herself from Amu's hands, her own little arms flailing. Ran sighed, realizing that Amu was letting her inner character out again. She was really still a giddy school girl on the inside, Ran knew. She smiled, getting the vibe of happiness even though she didn't know why Amu was cheering.

Amu tossed her up in the air, and Ran caught her self to hover above the girl.

Amu's golden eyes glittered, and she smiled brightly. "Ran, Miki, Suu, Dia... We're going to the beach tomorrow!" She beamed, a happy blush painting her cheeks.

The other eggs stirred more now, popping open and her other shugo charas flew up to the girl, hovering beside Ran. A happy chatter broke forth from the four characters, aided by Amu's own happiness, and Ikuto watched in mild amusement where he leaned against the wall. After a moment, a thought struck Amu, and her eyes settled on the blue little artist of her would-be selves.

"Miki," she chirped, "You have to help me design outfits before we go shopping tomorrow-!"

"Beach getaway outfits!" Ran cheered beside the spade character.

Suu threw in her two cents, "Summer dresses with lots of bows, maybe desu?"

Amu frowned a bit, shaking her head, "No way, that's totally not my style!" she complained.

Amu's yellow guardian character floated up beside her, smiling brilliantly. "Will we need to design clothes for Ikuto-san, too?" she asked innocently.

Golden eyes went wide as the girl recalled the teen in her room, and she quickly flipped around to face him. He had just been standing there, this whole time, listening to her gush about what to wear on her trip with him. She blushed. He probably thought she was way too excited for just a trip with a friend. She bit her lip; no way could she let him catch on...

But, she really did want to decide what to wear there, and she didn't have much time.

Hurriedly, she paced over to Ikuto, opening the door at his side, and pushed him out through the opening. The teen made a sound in complaint, putting his hand on the opposite side of the door as her, stopping her from shutting it in his face. Amu pushed again, a frown growing on her lips.

"Hey-!" Ikuto protested, silenced by Amu's deadly stare.

"You have to go now."

"But, why? Hang on a sec-!"

"-No complaints."

"Amu-!"

"Not. A. Peep."

With that, the door clattered shut and Ikuto was left standing in the hallway in more than a little confusion. He stood there for a moment, frown on his lips and arms crossed over his chest before he leant his head against the door, speaking low enough that he would not wake anyone in the house, but loud enough for Amu to hear him. He rose a hand, tapping it against the wood there.

"Ne, Amu, why can't I be in your room?" he asked.

He heard her yelp, and her footsteps padded back over to the door angrily. She spoke through the wood panel as he had.

"I'm doing girl stuff right now! Go occupy yourself!" she hissed through the door. Ikuto sighed.

"Where am I supposed to go-?"

"Downstairs!" she yelled.

The teen stood up straight, a slight pout evident on his lips, as he stared at the door a moment longer. The silence grew and he huffed out a breath, shaking his head back and forth as a small smile replaced the frown he had been wearing. Amu could be so...

Un-cute and cute at the same time. Ikuto smirked, he wasn't really sure how she did it.

With silent resignation, the young man padded wordlessly down the staircase, his long fingered hand trailing along the wooden rails. He entered the living space as quietly as he could, closing the gap between him and the softness that was the couch in a few strides, before plopping down gracelessly. Ikuto yawned, curling up on the cushions and pulling his knees closer to his chest to wrap his arms around them. Sure, he thought, Amu was cute but she wasn't going to get off without some merciless teasing tomorrow if she made him sleep on the couch. He smirked.

Suddenly, a sound from behind him alerted the teen that he was not alone on the lower floor of the house, and he turned his head to glance over his shoulder at the noise.

Midori gasped, noticing him just then as well.

"Ikuto-kun, you're still up? I thought you and Amu went to bed...?"

Ikuto turned in the seat so he could look at her more fully, speaking quietly.

"We did... Until she started talking about what she wanted to wear for the trip, and I was kicked out so she could do some fashion planning," he told her with a sigh.

Midori just rolled her eyes, walking around the couch and pulling the throw blanket from the backrest of it. She stood beside Ikuto for a moment, leaning over the armrest to drape the blanket around his shoulders, before she quietly took the seat beside him. She smiled.

"That's just Amu for you... She's in her own world most of the time," she explained.

The teen pulled the blanket further around his shoulders, tucking into it when he realized just how cold he really was. She was much kinder than he ever thought she would be to him when he had been living there in secret. The image of her wanting to murder him when she found out what he felt for her daughter had been burned into his mind that whole time. But, when it had finally come out, she had given him the chance he could have never given himself. And now, she would let him take her daughter with him on vacation. It was more than he could have ever asked for, and she had so kindly allowed him into her home. He nodded to the woman in thanks, smiling faintly and murmuring softly.

"Thank you..."

She smiled in return, nodding back, unaware of the true reason behind his gratitude. They sat like that for a moment longer, before she turned to him once more, speaking quietly.

"Ikuto-kun, please get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be very busy, we have a lot to prepare for if Amu is going to be able to go."

"Hn," he nodded, meeting her eyes.

The woman breathed out peacefully, running her hands over her lap to smooth her pants. With a gentle smile to the boy, she stood, walking back around the couch and pausing just before walking to the stairs. She spoke,

"Amu should let you back in soon, I'll talk to her..." Midori made to continue walking, but paused, looking back to the teen on her couch. "... Ikuto-kun, I want you to know that I trust you... And so does Tsumugu."

Ikuto gasped in surprise, turning to look over the back of the couch at her, but she was gone up the stairs now. He sighed, a smile on his lips, as he settled back down into his place on the couch. He could feel the warmth in his chest, and the way his heart had begun to soar, and without her even being able to hear him now he whispered his thanks regardless. He wrapped his arms tighter around his knees.

"Thank you... Just, thank you."

With that thought, Ikuto was able to rest his thoughts, and he curled up snugly under the blankets. So, they trusted him after all...

This must've been what a normal family felt like. He smiled.

Ikuto had to admit, he liked it.

* * *

... I wish I had Amu's mother. Mine- if she actually cared haha- would have killed me and Ikuto both.


	19. Distractions

*Rolls in, deposits chapter, and rolls out*

... Sorry for taking so long on this one, guys. I have been crazy busy lately, but to make it up to you, how about next time I do a double-chapter post special? Two for the price of one? No?... Yeah, I don't like myself either, heh.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy! Please let me know how I did with a review!

I do not own Shugo Chara!. If I did, well, there would be a hell of a lot more Amuto... Just saying. Enjoy.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 19: Distractions**

Ikuto awoke with a yawn, stretching like a cat on his mess of cushions on the floor. The sunlight filtered through the sheer fabric of Amu's curtains to play across his features, and he cursed softly under his breath as his starry night eyes fluttered open, painfully unadjusted to the morning light.

Despite Amu's mother apparently giving her daughter a talking to about kicking the teen out of her room at bedtime, the girl had fallen asleep shortly after speaking to Midori- completely forgetting the boy on the couch downstairs. He awoke freezing in the voided space, in spite of the blanket around him, and had blearily gazed at the analog clock on the wall to see that it had only been three o'clock in the morning. With a slew of grumbled curses, the teen had dragged himself up the staircase to infiltrate the girl's bedroom, making up his nest of pillows and curling up under the spare comforter. After that he fell fitfully asleep, tossing and turning despite his fatigue. No rest for the weary.

Now, the ringing of Amu's alarm was less than appealing.

And she still hadn't bothered to wake up and hit snooze. He sighed.

The teen groaned, pulling himself sleepily up from his cushy bed, and strode over to her bed managing to only stumble a few times on the way there. Ikuto smiled faintly, looking down at her. She looked so cute and innocent like that, cuddled up in her fluffy bedding and holding to that stuffed yellow chicken pillow that he still did not know why she owned. She was really an adorable kid, he shook his head with a soft chuckle falling from his lips.

The brief pause following the second cycle of the beeping came to an end, and it resumed its next set of irritating bells to hopefully wake its owner up, and Ikuto's smile fell. He rose a hand, delicate finger pressing angrily at the snooze button to silence it before clicking off the alarm entirely. The room melted to quiet, and the ringing slowly dissipated from his groggy memory, and soon he breathed in relief.

He could hear himself think again.

The teen thought for a moment, perhaps he could just go back to bed and curl away into the fluffiness like he had been dreaming of, but he remembered that they needed to visit her school early this morning to collect her things. Midori had said she would call first thing, and given the woman was always up before Amu and he, Ikuto had little doubt that she hadn't gotten to it yet. He yawned quietly, glancing back down to the clock again._ 6:15, hm...?_

Carefully, he knelt down beside the girl's bed, leaning on his folded arms atop the mattress just at her side. He blinked slowly, watching the way her little chest rose and fell with each steady breath she took, slow and even. Her lips were parted just slightly, features completely smooth and carefree, comfortable. Her arms were wrapped around the animal pillow, hands folded together cutely. Ikuto breathed, smiling. She looked like a little angel.

And to him, she surely was.

... Aside from her random bouts of violence, that was.

Lifting his right hand gently, he let his long fingers feather over her cheek, gingerly brushing the silky strands of pastel from her face. Her eyelashes fluttered, breathing shifting as she took a deep breath, but instead of awaking as he thought she was about to... She merely nuzzled into his touch. He smiled, running a gentle thumb over her cheek in slow little circles. She moved again, turning her head to his hand, and murmured softly in her slumber.

"Ikuto..." her voice was slurred with sleep, but it still made Ikuto's heart skip a beat, and his eyes widened a bit as he saw the dusting of pink tint her cheeks warmly.

Ikuto's eyes glittered fondly, and he lightly let a finger trace her smooth face, feeling the heated skin of her cheek. She looked so content, dreaming... _Of him, apparently._ He blushed faintly, heat welling in his chest. Delicately, he allowed his touch to dip to her perfect little lips, brushing just over the corner of her mouth. He wet his lips in mild nervousness.

_How badly he wanted to kiss those lips..._

Ikuto could only imagine how soft they would feel against his own, how sweet she would taste...

He blinked his sights away from her mouth, banishing the thought for the time. She wasn't ready for that kind of love yet, he reminded himself. Especially not with how strange she had been acting lately. She was allowing him closer, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was even conscious of the actions. He wouldn't dare take advantage of her while she was still figuring things out for her own life. Ikuto sighed. She didn't know what it was doing to him to have her respond so warmly at times... She didn't know any better.

He touches soon awakened the girl, and Ikuto retracted his hand from her face as he saw her eyelashes flutter once more and her breathing quickened out of its evened state. Slowly, gold peered out from the veil of thick lashes, and she blinked slowly at him, eyes still trying to focus in the light. The blurs of light and colors soon shaped into the familiar landscape of her room, and the fuzzy image of pale skin, dark clothing and a mess of midnight hair cleared into Ikuto. She gasped, blinking several times over to check reality for fallacies before leaning up on her elbow and scooting back a bit.

Ikuto was just sitting there, leaning on her bed and staring with the most mesmerizing pools of captured starlit night she had seen, watching her while she slept. His lips curved ever so slightly upward at the edges into a handsome, yet honest smile. She breathed, Ikuto actually looked really sweet right now.

Her lips moved of their own accord, "I-ikuto..."

He readjusted slowly, tilting his head to the side and never breaking eye contact.

"Your sleeping face is even more adorable than I imagined." Ikuto murmured, and Amu's head spun at the dreamy image.

She could have sworn she had dreamt of this moment before.

She tried to respond, but found her voice caught in her swiftly closing throat, and she just blinked at him with wide golden eyes, cheeks flushed fully red.

Ikuto continued, "... Is what I would have said, if I were as much of a cheesy prince as the Kiddy King," he deadpanned.

Amu gasped, letting the dream shatter and her irritation kick in. Ikuto was in for it, being such a pervert first thing in the morning... Then, her eyes dimmed, registering that he had brought up the one person she didn't really want to think about at the moment. She bit her lip, the image of Tadase's sad face starting to surface in her mind, but she shook it away before she could really fall apart. She swallowed, speaking weakly in protest.

"Tadase... isn't cheesy," she muttered, void of true chiding behind the statement.

Ikuto's eyes turned serious, and Amu gasped when she looked back up to meet them. "I won't lose you to him, Amu."

Amu gnawed on her lip, eyes lowering shamefully. She wanted to be able to tell him that she knew that already, that she believed it wholeheartedly now...

_That he had already won. _

But she couldn't, she didn't know what was safe to say and what wasn't anymore. Even so, the pink haired middle schooler found her lips moving on their own again. "Ikuto... You-"

A knock resounded on her door, and the knob rattled as it turned, silencing Amu's words. Ikuto leaned back from the bed with a sigh, scooting to sit a modest distance from the girl's bed on the floor before Midori could step through the door. The young girl breathed out, her eyes glittering with a little more moisture than usual, though she thankfully had fought crying.

Midori pushed the door open, smiling brightly at the two kids within the room. Amu sat still bedheaded and nestled in her own bed, and Ikuto- bless him for being so good- was seated next to his own makeshift bed with his hands politely on his folded knees. The woman was happy that she had gotten this level of trust back with Amu, and gained a new trust in Ikuto. After finding them in the washroom together that first time so long ago, she and Amu had been having a difficult time getting passed the trust issues. But, she smiled, they were both good kids, and she knew that now.

She sing-songed, "Good morning~!" They both gave way of sleepy smiles in return, clearly not ready to be as awake and chipper as the woman was.

Ikuto yawned, covering his mouth with his hand, before he rose his other to give a single wave. "Yo," he murmured, meeting her eyes politely. Midori giggled.

"You two need to get up soon, I have breakfast downstairs, and I have already called the school's chairman. All you two need to do is go pick up Amu's books and homework, and then we're off to go shopping!" the woman beamed and clapped her hands together, clearly happy to be hitting the early fall sales. Ikuto and Amu sweatdropped.

_What time was it, again?_ Amu glanced to her clock. _6:30... That's right_.

Amu drooped, and the little girl could swear she could feel her soul escape right out of her mouth. She was about to say 'bon voyage' to the white little ghost, but a thought struck her and she blinked at her mother, sucking her own spirit back into her body. Amu spoke.

"Mama, I don't have to stay for the full school day, right? Just stop by and pick up my books?"

Midori looked over her daughter, slightly confused why she was being so specific now. She smiled at Amu, nodding. "Yes honey, that's all. You have this whole week off now for vacation, but I thought you might want to see your friends and at least say goodbye for now..."

Amu tried to fight the flinch that shuddered through her at the thought of her friends- well, only one of them specifically. Amu bit her lip, she didn't want to have to confront Tadase so soon... She would rather die than see him cry because of her again.

"... Besides, I have to be here until I take Ami to preschool at ten, so you technically could take as much time as you need to say goodbye to them. I'm sure you'll have to explain the sudden trip to them," her mother continued, tapping a finger to her chin.

Amu wilted, her shoulders drooping as she nodded. Her mother was right, she did need to say goodbye... Maybe she could avoid having to talk one on one with Tadase. Maybe, she bit her lip, just maybe.

Ikuto watch her intently, not missing the strange look of dread to filter into her golden eyes at the mention of talking to friends, and he could hardly guess why. His night blue eyes only flickered away from her for a moment to bid Midori a thank you as she excused herself from the room without noticing Amu's behavior switch as Ikuto had. He frowned a bit. Something was definitely up with Amu lately, and as heartwarming as it was for him to realize that her sudden change was bringing him- hopefully- closer to her heart, he worried about the tension that was growing between her and whatever had happened at school with her friends the prior morning.

Then there was the fact that Tadase had bailed shortly after Amu's fall. Something was off, and Ikuto was bittersweet to the thought of it.

He'd have to wait until she felt ready to tell him though, that had been their promise.

The walk to school was quiet, and mostly uneventful aside from her shugo charas chattering and hovering around with Yoru behind them, and Ikuto let his eyes slide down to look at Amu from time to time in concern. She was being oddly reserved, somber, as if she strode to the guillotine. Her wide golden eyes remained on the concrete of the sidewalk, her expression flat and her hands in her pockets.

There were other students striding the same path as they, and Ikuto for a moment wondered if this was just Amu holding up her cool and spicy attitude for her shock and awe purposes, but with how she had been acting earlier- and for a while now, for that matter- he was liable to believe otherwise. Something had happened at school the morning before, he knew it. Something had been done or said, and now there was a rift torn between Amu and her usually tight familial ties with her friends... Or was it just Tadase? He frowned.

Had Tadase broken up with her? Was that the reason for her emotional shifts, the way she avoided the topic since yesterday morning like the plague?

_The reason why she now gravitated toward situations with Ikuto she would have normally only reserved for her prince?_

Ikuto's hands, tucked into the deep pockets of his jacket, curled into fists at the thought. That little brother of his had better not have gone breaking Amu's heart. Sure, Ikuto had trusted Amu to Tadase while he had been away, but that part of her was always destined to belong to the Tsukiyomi boy. The holder of the key to her lock. If Tadase had done anything to damage his property... Ikuto would have to step up and punish him like the older brother he truly was to the younger boy. The teen growled low in his chest.

The pair arrived at the school just in time to catch Rima and the Fujisaki boy entering the gates, and Ikuto called out a swift "yo" to draw their attention over. Amu blinked abashedly, smiling weakly as they approached her friends who had stopped to wait for her and Ikuto to catch up.

Nagihiko was the first to break the ice when they drew closer, his eyes ghosting warily over Ikuto before settling on Amu, and a smile crossed his lips.

"Good morning, Amu-chan, Ikuto-san... How are you?" he politely asked.

Amu bit her lip for a moment, her eyes lowering, but soon she met Nagihiko's gaze and let her outer character take the reigns for a bit. She shrugged, smiling back faintly. "I'm good, I guess., How are you two?"

Her friends both nodded, giving a polite 'fine, thank you' or 'alright', and Amu let out a sigh of relief. Talking to them hadn't been as hard as she expected confronting Tadase to be. She had wound herself completely up in the thoughts that maybe Tadase had talked to them, and they had taken his side to comfort him without giving her a chance to say anything or apologize. But, she smiled honestly now, they were the same as ever. Nagihiko was sweet and kind and Rima was her silent, shy self. Amu grinned, nodding to them.

Nagihiko spoke again, looking over her outfit for a moment. "Amu-chan, you aren't in your school uniform. Is something going on today?" he asked, perplexed by her trendy streetwear.

She blushed, looking down to glance over herself. She had already forgotten that she wouldn't be going to school today. Amu fiddled with the hem of her thick sweater, rubbing the fabric between her fingers before looking back up to the Fujisaki boy with a small smile. _She was suppose to be telling them goodbye_..._ It wouldn't be forever, anyway._

"Um... Yeah, I kind of have this vacation thing this week until next Friday..." she told him, leaving out specifics.

He raised his brows in surprise, blinking at her. "Really? It's so sudden, isn't it? Is your family going somewhere?" he asked.

Amu blushed pink again, and she fidgeted more with the hem of her shirt. "Well, not my family... I-"

"She and I are going to Okinawa," Ikuto interjected flatly, making Amu's blush increase tenfold.

She stammered, looking back and forth from her friends to Ikuto, scrambling to find a way to make it sound less serious. She waved her hands frantically, dismissing the thought as best she could.

"I-it's not like that! I couldn't go with only Ikuto!" she defended.

Ikuto pouted, sighing and tilting his head to let his forelocks dust over his eyes. "Ah, so now she tries to deny her feelings for me... But Amu," he looked down to her, his long lashes framing the unfathomably deep night of his eyes, making Amu blush hotter. "...You can't deny the facts. You and I are going there together."

Amu's cheeks puffed. "It's not like I'm doing it for you, you cat-eared-cosplaying-perverted-weirdo! It's Utau's birthday, and I want to be there for my friend-!" she fumed, but cut off as a hand clapped down on her shoulder.

She gasped, tuning to meet Kukai's smiling face. He grinned, lifting his hand to ruffle her hair. "Alright, Hinamori! I'm happy to be traveling with my amusing little trainee! Does Utau know about you going to her party?" he asked.

Amu stammered in shock, dropping to her knees and putting a hand over her pounding heart as she watched her soul escape for the second time that morning. She heaved a heavy breath, shaking slightly as her wide eyes rose to meet Kukai's, teeth chattering. "K-kukai-senpai, don't appear so suddenly like that-!"

The redhead laughed, raising a hand to wipe the happy tears from his eyes. He doubled over for a moment, hand on his knee while he chuckled, his green depths sparkling in glee. Finally, much to the mild relief of Amu's embarrassment, he stood up straight again. He gave her a thumbs-up, winking in approval as his smile brightened.

"You really know how to make my day better, Hinamori! I guess Fujisaki-kun was right, you are a scaredy cat!"

Amu frowned, her blush reddening further as she pulled herself to her feet with Ikuto's assistance- perhaps too distracted by her sulking to even notice his smirk or the hand of his that she blindly took. She crossed her arms over her little chest, puffing her cheeks in irritation and shot Nagihiko an accusative glance which caused him to smile sheepishly and wave a dismissive hand. Amu pouted, trying her best to sound cool and aloof.

"I-i'm not a scaredy cat... " she mumbled.

Kukai was about to pull out another humorous remark about the girl's ability to brighten his mood with her reactions, but a voice caught them all off guard, and they spun to meet the speaker.

Amu blanched, her throat closing up and her eyes prickled with unshed shame. This couldn't be happening now. She hadn't thought about it enough... What was she suppose to say?

"H-hinamori-san..." Tadase barely got out, his own voice seizing up at the sight of her, and not only that, but the sight of Ikuto standing by her side like he belonged there. The blonde bit his lip, pale red eyes locked with Amu's gold, and the moment grew thick enough to be cut with a knife.

Amu didn't miss the way her name had become formal again in place of 'Amu-_chan_', and her heart tore in half. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that her feelings for Ikuto were real and solid, but her other half could not forget all the feelings she had had for Tadase. Hearing those feelings being disregarded in the honorific that way... It only nailed it in further that she had truly hurt him. She bit her lip, her eyes seeing and unseeing at once. She didn't even remember how to form words anymore.

Kukai didn't miss the change in Amu and Tadase's expressions, nor the way the older teen by her side let his dark eyes flicker with concern and a deeper emotion as his sights settled on the girl. Wordlessly, the older teen seemed to move closer to her in worry.

This wasn't good, Kukai's eyes dimmed gravely. He doubted Amu wanted to bring it up again, and the look on Ikuto's face told the Souma boy that the teen had yet to be let in on what had happened or perhaps didn't understand it, and Kukai knew for certain that Tadase likely couldn't handle talking to the both of them now- At once. If he didn't intervene, this crazy love triangle would explode and take the lives of their friendships in its wake. He cleared his throat.

"'Sup', green-horned king?" Kukai smiled, shattering the intense silence and causing everyone to look over to him. He swallowed, taking a deep breath.

"Hinamori-san... What's going on?" Tadase asked, seeming to either not hear or simply ignore Kukai's attempt at conversation.

Amu held her breath, and her knees felt as if they would give out at any moment. He wasn't suppose to be asking this now... She was suppose to have more time- time to think of an answer to that question. Amu's eyes glittered with moisture, and she fought the hiccup of a sob that threatened in her chest. She didn't know what to do now. Ikuto was right here... He would hear everything, before she could ever confess the right way. It was all just too sudden...

She would ruin everything.

Tadase eyed her warily, taking a deep breath to continue his question. "You aren't in your uniform...? Why?" he asked, his voice making the hearts of his former guardian team clench painfully.

Rima looked to Nagihiko for his reaction, knowing he likely still thought this was his fault, and the boy merely met her eyes gravely. They were all anxious to see how this would turn out. How could Amu respond to fix it?

She didn't have to respond, however. As the awkward silence was finally broken by a deep, smooth voice.

Ikuto stepped closer to Amu's side, sensing the need to intervene for her sake. He had plenty of questions of what this tension was all about, but he had an inclination that right now those were less than appreciated. Something was being skirted around, and though he didn't like the feeling of being out of the loop, he figured with an educated guess that whatever it was was best left untouched at this point. Both kids looked on the verge of tears, and he wasn't about to stand by and let Amu cry again. Especially if it was because Tadase had hurt her. He spoke,

"She has today off, as well as the rest of the week." Ikuto simply said, his deep- and full of feigned boredom- depths held Tadase's own.

Tadase blinked, flinching a bit at the sound of Ikuto voice, and the way his older brother figure seemed to know more about the girl that was suppose to be the boy's girlfriend than Tadase himself. He took a deep breath, meeting the teen's eyes.

"Why, Ikuto-niisan?" he asked quietly.

Ikuto held his sights, "She and I are going to Okinawa for the week."

Tadase looked stricken, his eyes wide as they lowered to the paved walkway, and his mouth hung parted slightly.

Kukai watched in concern, knowing that was a blow the blonde didn't need with his already strained situation. He bit his lip, waiting to see what would happen next between the three of them.

Tadase's voice trembled, and his eyes remained unseeing as he let his fringe fall to obscure them. "Is that so..." Slowly, he rose his head, looking at Amu without really seeing her at all. "If that's true, then I hope you have a good vacation... Please, if you'll excuse me." He smiled forcibly, nodding to his friends before tucking past them with Kiseki peddling in tow.

He walked as quickly as he could to the school doors, nearly running up the short stairs. Hiding the way his tears had escaped down his cheeks, as he ducked into the building. Though no one needed to have super sensory abilities to tell that the boy had just left completely crushed. They all sat there silently, looking on in remorse and shock- aside from Ikuto, who was now a little more than confused as he had been before.

_Who had hurt who... ?_ He honestly couldn't guess.

Amu stood like a statue, replaying the look on the blonde's face as he spoke over and over in her mind. Her own expression locked somewhere between a wide eyed state of horror and a blank numbness.

_That had all really just happened..._ She tried to swallow. For a moment, she wanted to turn and yell at Ikuto for saying it so bluntly like that when Tadase was already hurt, but she quickly reminded herself that the teen couldn't have known any better when she hadn't explained anything that had happened to him.

She would not repeat the moment that had happened long ago when Ikuto had shouldered the blame and silently left her house while she screamed at him to get the hell out. She shuddered. Ikuto could not have known not to say what he said just now, and she had no right to take it out on him or anyone else. It was her fault. She had been the one to hurt Tadase after all...

Then again, she thought with a small glimmer of hope, she had not said anything about her feelings and truly the blonde had no way of saying one way or another what she felt. She could still have the chance to properly clarify. She could still fix it. And best of all...

She had not had to confess it all in front of Ikuto before she was ready.

Ikuto watched Amu in her odd state of bittersweet understanding, and he tried to analyze what was going through her at that moment, but he quickly realized that he was getting nowhere with the strange mix of emotions in her eyes. He, once again, wanted to outright ask her what she was hiding- what it was that had just happened- but he knew that he had ought to stick to the promise she had made him. She would wait until she was ready to tell him, and he could honestly sympathize with the notion.

After all, he had something he had to wait to confess as well. He couldn't say it until he was sure she'd be ready. Ikuto sighed, a small smile touching his lips.

Kukai eventually broke the odd silence, bidding everyone a good day to let them know that he needed to be off to class, and prompted both Rima and Nagihiko to wish Amu a safe and happy journey. With that, they hugged briefly, and Kukai told Amu he would see her that evening for the flight.

Amu responded hesitantly, near robotically as her thoughts drifted elsewhere, but she managed to say a goodbye to her friends and smiled faintly as she watched them go. Her heart was thundering in her chest, and she wished she could have found a distraction from her conflicting thoughts before they hammered her in half. She didn't want to think about talking to Tadase quite yet, she wanted to be as happy and excited to go as she was last night.

_Fat chance of that happening now..._ She sighed, biting her lip.

The teen at her side stretched, replacing his hands to his pockets as he stepped to stand in front of her, a small smirk dancing on his lips and glimmering in his eyes. She sucked in a breath, blushing faintly. _Speaking of distractions..._ She thought nervously.

Ikuto sighed, his eyes never leaving hers. "Ready to collect your stuff so we can get to shopping? I have a feeling your mother will cut my head off if I don't get you home to go to the mall on time... Women are scary about sales, ne?"

Her cheeks puffed, her thoughts clearing of all but his dorky complaints, and she poked him in the stomach and huffed with a roll of her eyes. Amu smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat.

"Let's go. I guess we know who the real scaredy cat is now, nya?" her voice was weak, but she still managed to make a pun. She pawed her hand in the air, making him frown a bit, but he smiled in return after a moment.

Silently, as they made their way into the school, Amu bid Ikuto a smile of thanks. He probably didn't know it, but she had truly appreciated the distracting joke at that point. She wasn't sure how she would cope if her thoughts kept swirling around the topic of Tadase right now. It was better that she focused on her trip, on Ikuto. So long as she stayed clear headed, and thought rationally, she had a feeling she could work things out for her, Ikuto and Tadase. She smiled.

As long as she had Ikuto there, she had hope.

* * *

Well, did it suck? Was it good?

Please, don't be shy to let me know!


	20. Shopping

Hey there guys! Sorry for the long delay again, but hopefully you will enjoy the Amuto fluff I promised as well as the torture I am about to put Ikuto through- it's a good torture, I promise!

Please, let me know what you think.

I do not own Shugo Chara!. Sadly...

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 20: Shopping**

"Shopping, shopping, yeah yeah~!"

Amu ignored the sound of her mother's happy tune as the woman tapped on the steering wheel, choosing to stare out at the passing buildings as they drove, instead. She sighed, her eyes hesitantly shifting to the seat beside her where the Tsukiyomi teen sat in silence, his elbow braced on the windowsill and his chin atop his bent wrist. Amu blushed, blinking back to look out her own window.

She was happy to be away from the school now, a more than safe distance from seeing Tadase, but her thoughts were not something she could so easily run from. Unfortunately, despite the distraction Ikuto could prove to be, she could not help the guilt that built alongside the happy flutters of being near him. She had Ikuto here, her heart should have been satisfied. But, with the knowledge that getting to be with him now meant Tadase was back there suffering and in the dark, she had a hard time indulging in the happiness in her heart. How could she justify being happy when she had broken Tadase's heart again?

_She would still have to make things right, somehow._

This morning had been way too sudden. He had just appeared there, and she couldn't swallow the panicking in her heart fast enough to explain herself. She had a feeling that even now that she was thinking about it, if she were to go back there to him, she would still not have the right words to say. Her heart was an awful lot faster than her at making choices, and she couldn't help but feel that she had no hope of catching up to it.

Amu wished, she glanced to the teen at her side again, that she could just tell Ikuto what was going on in her head- like he had wanted her to. She bit her lip. He had always been there when her walls came down, when she got to be her inner character instead of the cool and spicy outer one. Like having fun on the teacups like the little kid she still was. She didn't have to lie in front of him, she didn't have to tell him that she didn't want anything to do with little kid rides... That she was content to watch her life from the sidelines. With Ikuto, she got to live those moments. She got to play a big part in her own story, instead of the background character.

For all this time, she had always been more worried about what other people wanted to see from her, and she could never be a normal girl with an honest heart that she could wear on her sleeve. And now, just like the first time at the amusement park, she was showing her honest heart to herself again. It was making the choices now, and while it was exciting to think she finally understood it, she was afraid of how she was hurting people with her true self.

_If she could just talk to Ikuto..._

"Ne, you're staring, _Amu..._" Ikuto whispered, not taking his eyes from the window.

Amu gasped, biting her lip again, and turned to look out the window. "I-i was not." She muttered.

The girl lowered her eyes, her brows furrowing a bit. She wanted to tell him so badly, but now wasn't even close to the right time to do it. She hadn't even had enough time to sort out what words she wanted to use. How to tell him what she felt... How to say that she had chosen him over Tadase...

Let alone figured out how to tell Tadase that she had changed her mind.

If only she hadn't been so wishy-washy with her feelings... Things may have not turned out this way.

She would have to spend her time on this getaway thinking about when to tell her true feelings to herself, to Ikuto- and when she got home- to Tadase. She just hoped it would be enough time to sort it all out before she got back. Amu sighed.

Not to mention, the childish hope that she could just forget it all and have fun at the beach continued to nag at her from the back of her mind. It was not going to make it any easier in focusing, that was for sure.

The ride to the mall had been quiet, all except her mother's happy singing and the soft sleep breathing of the teen beside her. She smiled at him now, where he was leaning against the door with his face pressed to the window, and Yoru curled up also sound asleep under his chin. He looked so much younger when he was asleep, she thought. It was strange to see the young man look so helpless and soft, and Amu was not sure she wanted to wake him up now. He could sleep like that for a while and she would still find it endearing. Amu smiled softly.

Her mother unbuckled herself from her car seat, turning half-way to look back at the two kids in the rear seats. She smiled, seeing the teen curled to his side sleeping soundly. Midori giggled, raising a hand to stifle it so she would not wake the boy.

"Amu-chan, it looks like car rides put him to sleep, doesn't it? He's cute like that, ne?"

Amu blushed, looking away from the teen guiltily as her cheeks puffed in quiet defiance. She muttered, "Mama, don't say such weird things... Besides, just about anything puts Ikuto to sleep."

Her mother giggled again, turning to open her door and step out without humoring the rebuttal that Amu put up. She strode around the vehicle, stopping by Amu's door to pull it open and smile down at her daughter. She spoke.

"Ne, Amu-chan, I am going to go pay for parking, alright? Please wake Ikuto-kun up and meet me by the entrance when he gets up, okay? Don't forget to lock the car, honey."

With that she handed her keys off to the preteen and gently closed the car door, walking off toward the pay booth. Amu glanced for a long moment at the keys in her hand, blushing at her mother's words. _Wake Ikuto up...?_ The last time she had done that, the morning had become more than a little too warm for the girl, and she had embarrassed herself more than she ever had before. She had pet Ikuto's face... Amu's blush burned hotter.

But, she did need to get shopping, and she didn't suppose her mother would appreciate it if she left the teen to sleep in the family car while they shopped. Amu sighed.

Nervously, she unbuckled herself and turned in her seat to face the teen. He sat still, leaning against the door and breathing softly in content. She wet her lips, lifting a shaky hand to poke him awake, but she withdrew it before she got too close. She didn't want to wake him up, she didn't want to wade through the heat and shyness being in here alone with him would induce. Amu knew that Ikuto would only like this situation too much, and he wouldn't hesitate to push their limits to tease her. And with her newfound feelings for him, the closeness they had had the evening before, she didn't know if her heart could take her feigning refusal again. What would she let him do?

She honestly didn't know.

The teen stirred, rolling a bit to get more comfortable in his seat, but without a door to hold him up on his other side he now slumped to drop into Amu's lap. She froze, watching the teen silently nuzzle into her legs, his hair tickling the bare skin there. It was so soft, she remembered, lifting a nervous hand to trail her fingers through the night dark strands. Like a cat's fur, she blushed.

Her finger brushed against the shell of his ear, eliciting a soft, sleepful moan to rumble in his throat. Amu paused her motions briefly, waiting to see if he would awake, but his breathing evened out as he nuzzled closer and fell deeper asleep. A breath of relief fell from Amu's lips, and she lifted her hand to continue stroking his hair. She was petting him again, she realized, and her heart heated rapidly. Only this time, it was more in a manner that you might actually stroke a cat. The fluttering welled in her chest, and for the moment she could hardly think of anything else.

Experimentally, her fingers brushed against his ear once again, and like she had wondered if it might, it caused him to release another soft moan. Amu's blush burned hotly, and she dared to do the action again to see what would happen, a sound of soft surprise falling from her lips when he moaned again. Her eyelids slipped lower, the sounds falling from the teen's lips lulling her into a strange state of content. It was weird, being with Ikuto like this, like he was completely comfortable in her presence- comforted by her presence. Amu blushed.

She continued to brush him there gently, listening to the odd purrs she was causing him to make, and for a moment she tried to recall why he had asked her not to touch his ears before. He seemed to really like it, so she had to wonder why he would ask her to stop.

Before her thoughts could ponder it any further, the teen stirred once more, and she retracted her hand in panic. Ikuto twisted in his seat belt, in a way she thought must've been painful for him, so that he could look up at her as his midnight eyes fluttered open. He blinked at her slowly, making her heart beat a mile a minute with their intensity, before he softly spoke.

"Ne, Amu, I thought I told you that my ears are my most erotic spot..."

Her mind stammered and the blush along her cheeks seared even hotter. She bit her lip, blinking slowly back at him as she drank his words in, and she tried to reason with her thoughts to come up with something more than nervous mumbling to respond to him with. Her voice trembled, and she barely managed a whisper past her lips.

"E-erotic..." her eyelids lowered, her embarrassment causing her to breathe no more than a single word in question.

Ikuto nodded as much as he could where he was laying, his hair tickling her thighs, and his eyes never broke contact with hers. "Yes... Very much so, perverted kid."

Amu took in a shaky breath, unsure of her strength to speak, and her voice came out just as weak as before. "I... I'm not a pervert, Ikuto... Y-you are."

He smirked, "Only because you make me, Amu. Doing something so dangerous as touching me like that... What did you think would happen, ne?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip again.

"I... I don't make you do anything... A-and besides, I wasn't doing anything dangerous."

"Is that really true, Amu?" Ikuto rose a thin brow.

Amu was silent, thinking about his words carefully. She really didn't know if she was right or not, at this point. She wanted to believe she hadn't done anything too strange while he was asleep, that she had not let her feelings for him go too far before they could even be together, but she wasn't really sure what it was that she had done to begin with. She had touched his ears, that much she knew. He had said that they were the most erotic part of him, but what that meant, she really did not know how to gage. What did that mean, and more importantly, what did it mean for her and Ikuto if she had touched him there...? Amu whimpered softly.

Maybe what she was doing was dangerous, but how could she really know?

_His most erotic part..._

"I-ikuto?"

Ikuto watched as her eyes fluttered, opening just a sliver to reveal the confusion and emotions swimming within her pools of gold. His own eyes locked with hers once more, and he carefully nodded to the sound of his name.

"Hn?"

She bit her lip, "Did I... Did I really do something too dangerous?" Amu whispered. "...Touching you there... Is it really so serious?" she asked.

Ikuto's eyes softened, his expression turning a bit more serious as he soaked up her worries. He could tell from her nervousness, the shyness in her voice, that this was her inner character once more and Ikuto swallowed his thoughts of teasing her instantly. She was voicing something she would have normally locked within her, and Ikuto knew he was to cherish the moments she showed him her most private sides. He held her eyes seriously.

"It is," he answered honestly, feeling her flinch slightly, but he continued. "When you touch me there, it makes me really excited... And, I might do things that you aren't ready for yet."

Ikuto knew he was perhaps saying too much, that this was something about him she didn't really need to understand until she was old enough for him to truly confess to, but he could never lie to her when it came to something he knew she should be cautious of. Ikuto understood that those kinds of feelings weren't things she needed to deal with yet, but he also knew that she had a right to know what she was doing to him and the potential dangers he could pose to her if she pushed his self-control past its limits. His warning was perhaps a bit much for her now, but it was one worth making if they were going to be close to each other. A warning for not only her, but himself aswell.

She had to know what to protect herself from, even if it meant breaking his heart to know that it was him she had to be protected from at times. He sighed, watching her expression.

Amu's brows furrowed, and she blinked slowly in thought. She really wasn't sure what he was saying, but the honesty in his voice, the way his eyes held hers so seriously, had caused her blush to ignite and burn across her cheeks fully. She wanted to ask him what that really meant, but somewhere in the back of her mind the dots were already connecting, and suddenly she wasn't so sure she wanted to ask just yet. She got the feeling that it was one of those adult matters that would make the silence heavy and awkward with the more realization she had, and she really did not want to have one of those moments with Ikuto. She nodded slowly, meeting his sights again.

Amu wanted to understand Ikuto, she wanted to know what he had meant and what she had done to him, but right now it seemed like it would take more time than they had. Their flight left that evening at eight, and they still had to buy and pack clothing yet. She steeled her nerves, taking in a deep breath.

"Th-then I just won't do that anymore," she mumbled, not quite as strongly as she had wanted to. "Anyway, could you get off me now? You were drooling on my leg while you slept..."

Ikuto took in her words, but he let her retract from the topic. He had been right; she wasn't ready to hear about that yet. He sighed, smiling faintly at her attempted scolding. "Ah, was I?" he asked.

Amu huffed, turning her head from him as he pulled himself up into a seated position. He unclasped the seat belt, stretching in his spot as a yawn tugged at his mouth, and he rose a hand to cover it. After a moment of blinking the sleep from his eyes and glancing at his surroundings, the teen looked back to Amu with a brow raised.

"Ah, so are we here now?"

She sweatdropped, lifting a hand to bop him on the head. "Ikuto! You are really like a cat, sleeping and completely oblivious!" she fumed, opening the car door and climbing out.

The Tsukiyomi teen rubbed his head with a pout on his lips, following suit and opening his door to pull himself out into the parking lot. He stretched again, smirking as he watched Amu stomp off toward the mall.

Eventually catching up to her, the teen strode at her side as the two made their way through the parking lot and up to the front doors. Nearly immediately, Midori could be seen fussing with her cell phone just outside the entrance, eventually looking up with relief as the two approached her. She called over to Amu as they neared her.

"There you are, Amu-chan! What happened to you two? It's been almost ten minutes."

The girl stuttered guiltily, but before she could suffer too much, the sound of Ikuto's voice eased her mother's question.

"I'm somewhat of a heavy sleeper..." he added a yawn for the full effect.

Midori nodded in understanding, and the three of them made their way into the many wings of shops and boutiques. They roamed from store to store, Ikuto following a few paces behind, as the mother and daughter skittered from sale to sale giddily. He smiled fondly, happy to see Amu smile so brightly. He'd have to say, if he was learning anything on this outing, it was that one key to a woman's heart must've been shopping. Ikuto smirked, shaking his head.

Eventually, they had found themselves in a department store- where apparently the sales were unbeatable- and Midori and Amu had immediately dragged him along to the juniors section. He didn't really get what all the fuss was about, having a few hundred yen knocked off, but then again he had never really had to worry about money with his Easter fed savings account.

The two girls went from rack to rack, scooping up things that they apparently could not pass up, and soon Amu had a new wardrobe to stuff into the changing rooms with her. Ikuto sat with her mother in the assorted seats just in front of the dressing room's threshold, and waited patiently for Amu to come back out with a new outfit on. He had to admit, he was somewhat excited to see what she had chosen for their trip. He smiled.

After what seemed like forever, the girl stepped through the door's opening, and did a little runway turn to show off her clothes. Ikuto's heart skipped a beat at the sight. She wore a pink and black t-shirt that was cut to hang loosely around her shoulders, showing off plenty of skin, while the black tank top beneath it still modestly covered what it should. Her short-shorts were long enough to be appropriate, while short enough to still cause Ikuto to blush faintly. She looked adorable, he smiled at her.

_Amu was determined to test his carefully controlled behavior..._ Ikuto just knew it.

Midori gave her daughter a thumbs-up, clapping happily and rushed over to gush with the younger girl about what they liked and what they might switch out for something else, and Ikuto tried to tune out the fashion talk.

This process continued, outfit after outfit, until Amu had run out of arsenal in the changing room to try on and Ikuto had long lost the ability not to blush at each look. Eventually, the girl had amassed enough clothing to account for the entire trip, and Ikuto stretched as they pulled him to his feet and tugged him off in another direction. Apparently, so he was told, it was time to find a new swimsuit for the girl. Ikuto shook his head, so much for behaving himself today.

He followed behind them as they browsed through the racks of different, girly bathing suits, and Ikuto wasn't sure if he could be blamed for imagining how Amu might look in each one. How cute she would be...

Amu sorted through a set of pink and black frilly swimwear, her cheeks lighting with a blush as she caught Ikuto's eyes staring at her intently. He seemed to be eyeing every article she procured with a slight raise of a brow and a faint smirk... She pushed the hanger back to the rack, turning to cross her arms over her chest and muttered to him.

"Why are you staring like that?" she asked.

Ikuto blinked at her, a smirk on his lips. "Like what?" he asked.

She huffed, setting her shopping bags down to place her hands firmly against his chest, and began pushing him backwards. The teen wobbled a bit, before making sure to take steps as she pushed so he could be moved without toppling over. He stumbled as she gave a final push, having moved him across the tiled aisle to the young men's section just across from where they had been shopping, and she gave him a deadly glare. He rubbed his chest, muttering in complaint.

"Hey-"

"No more watching. Girls only." Amu's eyes dared him to refute that, and after a moment she paraded back to the girl's clothing wordlessly.

The teen wanted to say that she had been fine with him staring while she did her runway act, but he wouldn't dare bring up the moment that had admittedly- and embarrassingly- gotten him a little flustered. Instead, he frowned at her retreating form, and turned to browse carelessly through the racks of young men's clothes.

His long fingers trailed along from article to article of clothing, and he rose a brow at the selection. He wasn't sure how to put it, but it was fair to say that these preppy styles of clothing did not exactly fit his in the least. Not that he would proclaim himself a master of fashion by any means, that was. He merely had his own set tastes, and as Yoru would likely say, he was one stubborn fool.

The teen continued haplessly flitting from rack to rack, and eventually found himself in men's swimwear section much to his lack of need for a new pair of trunks. Once more, he absently fingered through the choices, stopping only to raise a brow at the less than modest speedo he now held in his hands. It was crazy, he thought, that anyone would be caught dead in this thing... It was purple, to top the icing on the cake.

"So, would you really wear something like that, Ikuto?"

The teen flipped around to meet the gleeful eyes of his shopping companions, and frowned as the mother and daughter duo proceeded to laugh at him. He slid the treacherous item back to the rack, and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He averted his eyes to the side, ignoring the heat that pooled in his pale cheeks.

Midori stifled her giggles, "I'm sorry, Ikuto-kun. I am sure you would look wonderful in it..." the woman blushed, and lifted a hand to her cheek.

The boy pursed his lips, filling his lungs with air and sighed in annoyance.

"Amu, did you finish shopping yet?" he asked, pushing the other topic off a cliff where it would hopefully die a painful death.

The girl blinked, smiling at him as she nodded. She lifted her arms a bit, to show him the layers of clothing she held to her chest for example.

"Mhm," she beamed.

Her mother smiled at him happily, "Actually, I think we are all finished now. We just came over here to help you shop now, Ikuto-kun," she told him.

Ikuto met her eyes, "I don't need anything, though."

The mother and daughter exchanged looks, the near frightening matching stars of a plan sparkling in their eyes in tandem, and Ikuto shivered. Soon, he was tugged off to helplessly be forced through a rapid speed hour or so of shopping, having clothes chosen for him and tossed into his hands as he was pushed into the changing rooms. The teen begrudgingly weathered through trying on their selections for him, stepping out of the changing room to blush as they oohed and aahed at him. And he couldn't help but wonder if this was perhaps what show dogs felt like when they were groomed and paraded in front of a crowd.

"This would look so cute on you!" her mother would coo, handing him more to fit himself into, and his heart had skipped a beat to hear Amu giggle in giddy agreeance.

"_Try this on next!"_ they would say.

In the end, he had been talked into buying a total of three new outfits, comprised of stylish tank tops and fitting shorts, along with a few assorted accessories. Ikuto had shivered when Amu and her mother had cornered him with his only options being buy what they had picked for him, or face a terrible death. And he had thought only Utau was scary when she shopped for him. Long story short, he valued his life more than his sense of style, and so had conceded to their demands.

_Why did it seem that girls loved to dress him up...? Did he look like a doll?_

Ikuto glanced sidelong to Yoru who floated near his head, shivering in unison as they watched Amu and her mother conquer the checkout counter and head for the door.

"Scary, nya..." Yoru muttered as he trembled, and Ikuto gave a silent nod to the little cat.

_They were scary_, the teen thought, but he was happy to see Amu having fun along with her mother- and not only that- but with him there as well. Like he had been truly accepted into the norm of the family. Ikuto smiled faintly, following after the pair. It was a good thing that they had had this time together, especially for Amu and her mother. After all, they were leaving tonight, and it would be the first time Midori had let her daughter go so far from home.

Ikuto watched them chatter happily as they all got into the car, and headed for home. He hoped they could get everything done in time, the departure of their flight would be soon. Ikuto sighed, smiling. He could hardly wait to go.

_He had his Amu with him this time._

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed this update, and the thought of Ikuto wearing revealing swimwear!

Let me know how I did!


	21. Curiosity

So, I have a cold today, and thus studying is out of the picture- or perhaps I am just being lazy about it- so I decided to give you guys a little something. I miss you like crazy, my peeps! Let's get this rolling again, shall we?

_I do not own Shugo Chara!._

* * *

_J t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 21: Curiosity **

The trio had arrived home with vigor- excluding Ikuto, who now felt more than a little exhausted from a forced shopping spree.

Amu, shopping bags in hand, had rushed upstairs to sort through her new clothes and put together her things to be packed. Luckily, the only belongings Ikuto was in care of had already been packed in his duffle bag, and now merely awaited him as he stuffed the new additions into it. Time had flown after that. Amu had talked to her mother and father, they finished their packing, and Ikuto had phoned Yukari to make sure she still had an open ticket for Amu. Which, with a quick threat of him not showing up if she didn't, the teen had managed to procure- and now they stood on the drop-off landing in front of the airport's terminal and waved to her family.

Her mother teared up, and she stepped over to hug her daughter tightly. "You be safe, Amu-chan. Remember what I told you, alright?"

Amu nodded, a blush crossing her face, and Ikuto wondered if there had been something said that he had missed at some point. He smiled though, brushing the thought aside for a moment, as he gave a brief hug to her mother and Ami who ran to embrace his leg. Ikuto's night dark eyes met the watering depths of her father, and for a moment a shudder ran through him, but he managed to lift a hand in an offering to the man.

Tsumugu stared at the hand, lips trembling, before he grasped it and gave a meek handshake. "Don't you dare do anything to harm my little sparrow," he warned, voice cracking.

Ikuto nodded, eyes serious. "I wouldn't dream of it."

The two youths stepped toward the door, and Midori gave a final wave to the pair, her eyes twinkling in an odd manner. She caught Amu's sights, holding them with a mixture of warmth and an unspoken warning, before she trailed her eyes to Ikuto and smiled at him a last time as they entered the terminal. Ikuto smiled back to her, his thought from before returning, and he turned to look at Amu in hidden confusion.

_What had been said...?_ Ikuto pursed his lips a bit.

He watched his reflection in the polished tiles of the floor, listening to his footsteps and the rolling of the wheels on Amu's frilly suitcase, before his starlit depths strayed back to the girl at his side. She looked perfectly fine, if anything perhaps- dare he think it- _happy_ to be leaving with him. That thought alone was enough to snuff out nearly all his worries and send the catboy straight to heaven, but there was still the ever present nagging in the back of his mind that he was being left out of the loop on something. Ikuto sighed.

He knew quite well about the first issue he was being left out of, whatever had happened at school a day ago, and he knew by now that Amu had no intentions of spilling it just yet. The teen doubted that this was related to that however- unless she had told her mother about it before him, and she had some input into the situation. Which, he'd admit, was how it should be. Her mother had every right to know before he did... But, to think that Amu suddenly had things to hide from him made him a little uncomfortable. He frowned faintly, his mind hitting the self-constructed wall of his promise not to ask until Amu wanted to tell him herself. He couldn't pry into her own business, but still...

The tears... The strange mood swings... Tadase's odd behavior and Amu's near terror at seeing the blonde...

_...What on earth was going on in their little world?_

Ikuto shook his head slightly, banishing the thoughts before it could get him into trouble. He would rather not go to jail for assault if he came to the conclusion that Tadase had hurt the Hinamori girl. On the other hand, with that thought aside, his mind shot straight back to the odd look Amu's mother had given her daughter. He still wanted to know what had been said.

Ikuto sighed softly, smirking at himself.

His catlike curiosity would honestly get him killed one of these days.

Starlit eyes drifted over the girl's happy face, his sensitive ears catching the sound of her pleasant humming as she walked. Her wide golden eyes glittered as she read the markers for each check-in desk to find their airline, and anticipation in her depths made his heart latch onto the excitement as well. In just a short while they would be on their way to a getaway where they would have more than enough time to indulge in each other's company. Ikuto could feel his heart skip. He didn't know if she was excited for the same reasons as he, but imagining that could be the case was no harm, right? He smiled.

Daydreaming was better than the suspicions he had been housing everytime Amu reminded him of her secret with her odd behavior, by far. But, he still planned to ask her what her mother had meant by, _"remember what I told you..."_.

Amu continued her happy little hum, seeming to forget that Ikuto was there at all until they came to a check-in station, and the teen stopped to stride over to the little waiting area just before it. Amu followed him in confusion, but a light bulb soon lit when she saw a smiling familiar face seated in one of the chairs.

"Nikaidou-san," Ikuto greeted with a nod, smiling faintly.

The teacher put down the magazine he had occupied himself while he waited, standing to nod to Ikuto in return.

His smile, bright and cheery, in full effect. "Ah, Ikuto-kun, Himamori-chan! Yukari told me to wait for you both here so Utau-chan wouldn't see her presents too soon."

Ikuto nodded again, "I know. She said to meet you here when I spoke to her earlier. You have our tickets with you?"

The long haired man scratched the back of his head at the teen's unimpressed demeanor, before he reached into the front of his jacket to pull two tickets free from his pocket. He smiled again.

"Here they are, Mr. Kitty Cat," Nikaidou jested, holding them out for the Tsukiyomi boy to take them.

Ikuto's brow twitched, and he fought the frown he felt coming on as he heard Amu and her shugo charas giggle mirthfully at his side. Nikaidou, underneath the cheery and carefree teacher façade, still knew how to push his buttons for the best effect. Ikuto sighed, reaching with a thin hand to pull the tickets from the former Easter employee's hands. He looked them over in his hold, reading the info to make sure all was correct. They were a couponed deal, part of a six ticket package, so there was little more to read than the arrival and departure specs, seat numbers and term of their stay for the round trip return. He looked over it a last time, slipping it into his pocket, before he turned his sights to the companions of his who were now chatting happily.

"Nikaidou-sensei, I didn't know you were coming along, too," Amu said.

Yuu rubbed at the back of his head again, burying his fingers in the caramel colored locks there. He smiled sheepishly,

"Yeah, well Yukari has been really excited to go with Utau-chan on this trip, and she had extra tickets to give out... So she decided to bring me along, thankfully," he chuckled.

"Sensei, it will be such a romantic getaway for you two, desu!" Suu beamed, drawing Nikaidou's attention to her and making his eyes sparkle happily.

"Suu!" he exclaimed, lifting a hand to gently snatch her from the air.

She gasped in unison with Amu and her other characters, and the middle schooler reached out to try and take her character back from the teacher. She already knew how attached he was to the green little homemaker. Amu whined.

"Nikaidou-sensei, don't just take Suu like that!"

The man pulled the shugo chara from her reach, a pout tugging at his lips. "Ah~, but Himamori-chan! You have so many! Surely you won't mind if I take just one?" he reasoned.

"It's Hi-NA-mori! And I do mind! We have gone over this before, haven't we? You have your own egg to hatch!" she reminded him, reaching to try and snag Suu back from the now watery eyed teacher.

"But it hasn't reappeared yet!"

Ikuto stifled the amused smirk on his lips, sighing and shaking his head at the teacher's pathetic attempts to steal Amu's character away- though, he couldn't forget that at one time the teacher may have gone through much worse lengths to get his hands on Suu and all of Amu's characters. Ikuto's eyes darkened a bit, but he swallowed the vile thoughts. _What Easter could force a person to do..._

The teen cleared his throat, but didn't manage to get the attention of the squabbling bunch in front of him. Amu, along with Ran, Miki and Dia, were hooked into a chain position and tugging on Nikaidou's wrist to get Suu free, while the man barely managed to keep her out of reach for them. They tugged back and forth, Amu now fuming cutely, and the teacher still whining in his high pitched alternate persona's voice. Ikuto rolled his eyes, turning silently to his own shugo chara.

"Yoru, watch over them," he spoke softly. "I am going to go check Amu and I in," he told the little cat, before pulling Amu's bag along with him without her even noticing.

He strode to the front desk, checked his own and Amu's bags as carry-ons, and got directions to their gate from the woman behind the counter. Within about five minutes, he had wrapped up their processing, caused the clerk to swoon over him, and walked back over to the on going dispute before the little girl had ever realized he had left with her bag in the first place. He tried clearing his throat again, and eventually resorted to tapping at her shoulder to pull her back to reality.

"Ne, Amu, we are all checked in..." he leaned down to speak lowly, breathing on her little ear as he spoke.

She blinked, releasing her hold on the tug-of-war with her characters and caused them to fly off from the released tension. "Huh?" she turned to him.

"Your mind was lost in the clouds again, Amu," he told her, smirking. "We are checked in, all we need to do is make our way to the security gates and we can relax until our flight in the terminal. Let's go."

Amu blinked at him again, as she blushed pink and gave him a short nod.

Nikaidou released his hold on Suu, gasping. "No fair, Ikuto-kun! I waited for you to get here so we could all check in together!" He whined, standing up straight to search for his own ticket and grabbing up his bag from behind him.

"You should have been thinking of that instead of trying to steal Suu." Ikuto told him flatly.

The the teacher's momentary distraction was enough time for Amu to grab hold of Suu before Nikaidou had even been given time to groan in defeat. He blinked at Ikuto's mention of the green character, and he searched his hands for her before his amber eyes rose to meet Suu's who stared happily at him from Amu's grasps. She smiled brightly, waving to him from where she was.

"Sensei, we will see you inside, right, desu?" her high voice trilled as Ikuto pulled Amu away with him.

Amu blushed, looking down to the hand holding hers as Ikuto tugged her along, and she tried to even her heart rate so she wouldn't trip or have a heart attack trying to keep up with him. He really seemed like he had something else on his mind, the way his eyes stayed trained on the path ahead of them, and his thin brows furrowed slightly. Amu bit her lip, welling up strength, and pulled her hand from Ikuto's grasp.

"Ikuto, we could have waited for him, you know! Why are you walking away so suddenly?" Amu's eyes glittered with defiance.

Ikuto paused, turning to look at her, and blinked a few times to come back to reality. He hadn't realized exactly what he had been doing, and he drank in her words slowly to process them. His night dark eyes flickered from hers back to the check in desk left behind them a ways. In a blink, those starlit depths flicked back to her glimmering golden eyes, and he held her in his stare there for a moment longer as he thought silently.

_Where had his mind gone...?_

The moment he had walked back over to Amu after checking in, and drawn her attention and eyes back to him, he could not help his curiosity from returning in a flood when she looked into his own depths. At the moment, all he had wanted to do was to get away from Nikaidou so he would have a chance to talk to Amu alone. He wanted to know, for a reason he couldn't truly explain, why it had looked as if Amu's mother had shared a warning through eye contact... A warning that he was starting to wonder if it had anything to do with him. Ikuto's eyes narrowed a bit.

He was sure that her mother trusted him, she had let Amu come with him, after all. She had told him she did herself, to top that one. But now, he was second guessing where he stood with her family. That look, knowing and cautious to Amu... It didn't make any sense. Nothing was making sense anymore, to be honest. Amu, whom had always shoved away his advances, was letting him get closer than he dreamed she ever would- even when it seemed to be tearing a hole in her and Tadase's relationship. Her mother seemed to trust him, but then there seemed to be some sort of warning she had told Amu when he hadn't been around. To put it in easy terms, the secrets were killing him.

A cat's curiosity knows no bounds, after all.

Amu stood there still, waiting through Ikuto's silence for him to finally speak, and her sense of strength was quickly dwindling as she got caught up in those starlit eyes. She bit her lip, fidgeting a bit, and she shuffled to straighten her stance. This silence was awkward, and it was making her heart pound extremely fast. Why was he acting so strangely all of a sudden...?

Finally, Ikuto spoke, his voice low and free from any kind of mirthful nature. He was clearly speaking honestly, and his eyes conveyed the seriousness he felt.

"Amu... What was it your mother talked to you about?... She, looked at you really strangely, and then the way she looked at me..." he breathed, "I feel like something was said about me. Was it, Amu?"

Amu's expression scrunched a bit in confusion. Was that all he was worried about? Her and her mother had had a talk before they left for the airport, that was all- Amu's thoughts hit a major speed bump as she recalled exactly _what_ that talk had been about. Her mother's voice echoed in her thoughts.

"_Sometimes, especially with older boys, they may want things that you aren't ready for-" _

Amu shook her head violently, her face completely red and she was sure that her temperature had just shot through the roof to record heights. No, no, no... She would not go there with Ikuto in mind. Her thoughts would completely melt down and she knew that meant her brain would likely be liquified. Not to mention, she knew she would get another chance to watch her soul fly out of her body entirely. _Ikuto wasn't... Well, he was, but... No!_ Amu's cheeks were on fire.

Ikuto watched Amu's strange mixture of emotions as they flickered through her wide eyes, raising a dark brow as she shook her head and blushed like a tomato. Well, that was odd, he'd admit. It wasn't exactly the response he had been expecting, and now the nervous butterflies in his stomach were starting to turn from painful twists of trepidation to a fluttering of anxiousness. It didn't seem like whatever had been said was too grave of a warning, and even if it had something to do with him, it was making Amu blush where he thought it would have filled her eyes with cautiousness. It seemed, perhaps her mother hadn't faltered in her trust in him.

_Maybe she had not told Amu that he was a bad person... A black cat of misfortune. Maybe it was something he could handle._

He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "Ne, Amu... Your hair is matching your face now... Ah, and you still haven't answered my question." Ikuto smirked.

The girl's characters hovered nearby, their faces flushed just as Amu's was, and Ikuto's eyes flickered to them as Suu spoke.

"The adult world, desu-" she made a fainting motion, and the other three caught her, quickly silencing her with their hands over her mouth. They smiled sheepishly at the teen, shaking their heads to dismiss their companion's words. They clearly did not want to revisit the conversation they had all been forced to sit in on.

Ikuto rose a brow, his eyes flickering back to Amu. He put a hand on his hip, shifting his weight to stand in a pointed manner, his voice deep and mirthful as he spoke.

"The adult world, hmm? Amu?"

Amu shook her head back and forth again, virtually making visible the metaphorical X of tape over her mouth to silence her, and her eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment. She could not go there... Not right now! Amu shook her head more for emphasis, squeaking helplessly behind sealed lips. She could swear her shy inner character was dying right now... Yep, there went her soul again. She tremored.

"Ah... So, it is something perverted then, isn't it?" his smirk grew wider, and again Amu shook her head in response, desperate for him to drop the topic. It was way too much.

But, of course, he wasn't letting it go just yet...

"...And, it was about me, Amu?" he asked.

Amu tried desperately to hide the truth in her eyes, she tried to shove it to the back of her mind and never see or hear of it again, but the moment he had asked that question a flood of unwanted confirmation swam into her depths. She could feel the heat burning so hot from her head right down to her toes, and she was sure at this point, her blush was making her sweat bullets. She shook her head again, but it was clear in Ikuto expression, he had already gotten his answer. Amu shivered, her soul flying on up to heaven- or maybe down to hell. Now she knew, a person really could die from embarrassment.

Ikuto's grin was beyond the nerve racking suggestiveness of his usual smirk, and Amu could already feel her body turning to liquid starting from her legs up. He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes never breaking contact with the girl's, and he couldn't help the mirthful chuckle that rumbled in his chest.

He wasn't going to press the topic any further, as he had a pretty good suspicion what her mother might have sat her down to talk about. And albeit it an important talk, he could not pass up how adorable Amu was when she blushed like that. She looked like she was melting, and if cat ears had been present, he was sure he would have heard her heart thundering like a drum. She would probably pass out right now if he didn't stop.

But that didn't mean he had any plans of giving up the topic.

Ikuto smiled. He would simply ask another time, when they were truly alone, and the issue could be pressed without onlookers giving him strange stare as they were now for flustering someone as young as Amu. He sighed, shaking his head a bit. If only he had been born four or five years after he had been... This would not have been an issue then.

He couldn't help the murmur that fell from his lips, "Hurry up and grow up..."

Amu's breathing calmed a bit, not expecting him to drop his teasing so soon. Her brows furrowed, and her hands wrung together over her heart and the Humpty Lock within her shirt. "Wha-?"

"I caught up to you! Himamori-chan, Ikuto-kun!" Nikaidou shattered the moment, sprinting over to them and panting. He stood up straight, fixing the glasses on the bridge of his nose, smiling sheepishly. "I am sorry I took so long. My luggage ended up being too large to be carry-on, so I had to check it instead... I should have looked up the size limit, I suppose."

Ikuto tuned out the mindless chatter that followed as the teacher and student talked about airports and their troubles- Amu clearly happy to be completely off their prior topic. The teen smiled softly to himself, striding ahead of the other two, as they made their way to the security gates. He knew, no matter how far apart he and Amu were- be it age or distance- he was going to make sure she was his. He had promised that to her, and to himself...

… He was also going to promise to hear more about what her mother had warned her about. He smirked.

Amu was as cute as ever when she blushed like that.

* * *

How was that? Good? Terrible? Please, let me know.


	22. Reunion

Hello there! Probably thought I dropped off the face of the planet, huh? Not to far from correct, actually. I fell into this thing called stressful schedules and responsibilities. BUT, here's the good part... I am finished with school, and my family vacations and stuff are out of the way! Yay, me!

Ahem, anyway, I am sorry for the delay in chapters. What has it been, a month or two now? Not acceptable. I will try to get caught up on the updates once again. Please enjoy!

I do not own _Shugo Chara!_.

* * *

_Je t'aime toujours_

**Chapter 21: Reunion  
**

Utau glanced at her phone, held tightly in her petite hand, while the other was held gently by the boy at her side. She sighed, reading over the empty thread folder for her beloved Ikuto's contact. He hadn't texted her, let alone called her, in so long she was beginning to think he'd found a new sister to worry about. Not even a birthday text yet...

_Had he forgotten?_

The teen idol felt a frown pull at her lips, the sight of her empty text folder and the noise of the busy terminal around her, making her displeasure grow with each passing moment. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong- something that had to do with her Ikuto... It felt like Yukari, and even Kukai now, knew something that she did not. It was tempting to want to strangle the truth out of them, but she knew better than to try that with all the people watching them now. It was too public right now, and even if she wanted to threaten them, she could not. Even if she wanted to break down from the Ikuto withdraws she was feeling...

If he was hurt, and Yukari or Kukai knew anything about it, she would sooner kill them then forgive them. Utau pouted more.

_Her Ikuto was missing..._

How could they expect her to have a good vacation with that thought in mind?

She sat with her back slumped against the vinyl backboard of the uncomfortable seats in the waiting area, her legs crossed and one hand in Kukai's while the other tapped impatiently on the cover of her cell phone. One glance to the side revealed Yukari asleep in the seat next to hers, and another to her opposite side found Kukai reclined with his headphones on and eyes shut peacefully. She smiled faintly at that sight, but a reminder that he too seemed to be skirting around something as well had the frown returning and her violet eyes burning with indignation.

Both Yukari and the teen boy knew something, and each time she would mention her brother, they would change the subject just as soon as an excusable segway could be found. She had wanted Kukai with her for her birthday, even if Ikuto could not be there, but now it was beginning to eat away at her mind to know that he was hiding something from her. She knew that the boy had never necessarily agreed with her strong connection to her brother- it would not be a jump to say he was _jealous_, even. But, she had thought that if it came down to it, Kukai's good natured and righteous state of mind would push him to tell her about anything that could really hurt her...

Like, if something were to be wrong with her brother, for instance.

Utau sighed again, pulling her hand from the auburn haired teen's, and shifted in her place to sit up straight against the backboard. Her thin arms crossed over her chest; she didn't know if she even wanted to go at this point. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she got. Enjoying time on the beach was the last of her wants. But, she breathed slowly through her nose, this was something she had owed to herself after all the hard work she had put into her dream. She needed this... She just didn't need the stress of worrying over Ikuto, right now.

Utau had tried to put it behind her, to silence the thoughts as soon as Kukai or Yukari backed out of the subject, but she just couldn't get it out of her mind. She just wished she could forget-

The light on her phone flashed briefly, buzzing and silencing her thoughts, and with a gasp of surprise- and dare she think _hope_- she flipped the device open and clicked through the message menu.

'_I see you._

_~Ikuto'_

Utau's heart beat a mile a minute, and she read in the message over and over to insure that she had read it correctly the first time. _Ikuto could see her...? Did that mean he was here?_ Frantically, her glimmering eyes looked up to search the crowd. From gate to gate, doorway to doorway, she searched like her life depended on it. She was so caught up she didn't even realize that she had shot to her feet, nor that she had awoken her two companions with her sudden movements.

People seated in various places around her stared at her as if she had lost her mind, but she still managed to search each of their faces for the answer she sought. None of these people, not a one of them, was Ikuto. Suddenly she was beginning to think that she was going mad... Perhaps she had not gotten a text at all. A last frantic time, the teen ran her sights thoroughly over the areas around her. Again from door to door, gate to gate, and even in the lines of the kiosk cafés sprinkled around the terminal. Not there... And not there, either...

…_Then where?_

She took a hesitant step forward, her phone clenched in the fist her hand had made at her side, and her eyes scanned through the people passing by. Biting her lip, she nearly made the resolve to throw in the towel. She had gone crazy...

But, then...

There, by the entrance from the security gates, stood a tall figure. His frame lean, hair a midnight blue that she had seen on no other, and his hands tucked into his pockets lazily. A smirk tugged at his lips, and the starlight eyes that matched her own in origin, but would always outdo her in radiance, glimmered in mirth and happiness. _It was him...!_

"Ikuto...?"

The word fell from her lips, and she knew he probably could not hear her from this distance. But, it really didn't matter after that, though. Because now, she had dropped her phone to the lap of her boyfriend, and ran at full throttle through the aisles of chairs and people to reach her brother. This time her voice was not nearly as quiet, and the stern- near cynical- façade of the girl, was replaced by the hopeless romantic within.

"Ikuto!" she swooned, throwing herself to him and gasping in shock to feel her head rest against his chest._ He was real_ …! She was not crazy, and he was not a mirage.

Ikuto sighed heavily, but the smirk never fell from his lips, as he allowed his sister to cling to him desperately. He had somewhat anticipated this reaction when he had texted her. He had had the whole time going through the mess of security checks to work up the strength to handle it. She had been without him for longer than she had ever had to face before, and he knew that her "Ikuto-withdraws" would be at maximum volume. Ikuto chuckled, finally lifting his hands to pry her from his middle so he could look at her.

"Utau..." he spoke, and her eyes glittered like stars.

"Oh, Ikuto! Ikuto, Ikuto, Ikuto~!" she gushed, earning another sigh from the older teen. He nodded to her, smirking.

"Yo."

His strength couldn't hold her forever, and she pushed past his barrier to cling to his firm chest once more. She nuzzled into his chest, breathing in his scent.

Ikuto frowned a bit, getting annoyed now. He breathed through his nose deeply, calming his nerves while he worked up the strength to pull her away again. He pushed her back enough to look into her eyes, smiling again to comfort her in his hold while she pouted at his rejection.

"Happy birthday," he told her, and she caught the meaning instantly.

"Ikuto! You are the best present I could ask for!" she fawned happily, tears welling in her eyes, and she tried to force herself back against his chest only to meet his hands holding her back. She frowned a bit, glancing back up with watery eyes.

"... You shouldn't say something like that in front of your other present," Ikuto chided lightly.

Utau blinked, looking to his hands to search for said gift, but she found nothing and soon rose her eyes back to his own. "What do you mean, Ikuto?"

Ikuto simply smirked, nodding off to the side with a curt bob of his head, and those starlit eyes drifted to look onto something at his side. Utau followed his sights, and soon caught the form of someone standing at his side... Someone with wide golden eyes and a head of pastel pink locks. Utau gasped, blinking as she leaned back to actually look at the girl now.

"Amu...?" The teen idol's eyes drifted for a moment to take in just how close the little girl was to her brother, standing just at his side with her own bag beside herself, and soon she could feel the jealous overprotection kicking in. Utau frowned, "Why are you with Ikuto, Amu?"

Amu blinked at Utau, sweatdropping at the sudden shift from a lovestruck teen girl, to a threatening devil of a woman. The younger girl stuttered, her soul near ready to take off again at the sight of the imposing dark aura around the idol, "I-i-"

"She is your other gift," Ikuto told her, his voice drawing Utau's sights back to him. "You had asked her to come with you," he reminded.

Utau thought back on it, drinking in her brother's words. Sure, she had asked if Amu had wanted to go to Okinawa with her, but that had been before she had seen Ikuto here. She wanted to see Amu... But not if that meant the little pink haired girl being there to steal Ikuto away from her. Seperate was fine, but them together... That was dangerous. Amu was- much to Utau's dismay- the only girl Ikuto had taken interest in, after all.

"Ikuto~" Utau whined, clinging to him once more and raising up onto her tippy toes to draw their faces closer. "How am I suppose to enjoy you as a present if Amu wants to steal you from me? How will we have time together?"

Ikuto's expression turned mildly annoyed, and he pushed against his sister to free himself. "Utau, cut it out! You are getting too close-!"

"But, Ikuto-!"

"I said enough! You can't do such dangerous things so suddenly!" Ikuto pushed again.

"But why?"

Amu watched from the sidelines, trying her best to tune out an argument she was sure she had heard before. She was tempted to chime in with something to refute Utau's impression of her intentions with Ikuto, but she figured it would be a lost cause. _Utau sure loved Ikuto_... Amu felt herself sweatdrop, and she let her shoulders droop in defeat. When it came to being forward, Utau had most beat by a long shot. Amu blushed red, shaking the thought from her mind.

_There to steal Ikuto away..._

If only.

Ikuto pushed against Utau's strength again earning more complaints and whines from the desperate girl, and she wound her arms around the back of his neck to pull herself closer to him.

"Why?" she cried, trying to pull in for a kiss but the teen stopped her short of making it.

"Because, we are siblings!" he panted, eyes indignant, "...Besides, I already like someone-"

"-And so do you, Utau." A voice from behind the idol spoke, and made her flinch at the jealousy she heard in it.

Reluctantly, Utau released Ikuto from her hold and stepped back to look at the boy behind her. Kukai stood with his hands behind his head in his usual carefree manner, but the fire in his green eyes told her that she had pushed his buttons well enough for one night. He sighed, meeting her depths and holding her there, before he stepped over to her and lowered a hand to take her own in his and pull her to him. He did not need to speak more than that. He knew, and she knew, that the words spoken with his usually happy green eyes would be enough between them. It was a warning, a message not to break his heart or she would find herself alone again. Utau lowered her eyes, lifting her other hand to wipe the moisture from her eyes.

She didn't want to hurt Kukai.

She had just missed Ikuto so much...

"Kukai-"

The auburn haired teen lifted a finger to hush her, making her blush and a pout tugged at her lips. Her brows furrowed, "Don't tell me to be quiet, kid... You were about to get an apology." She frowned.

Kukai smiled faintly in return, not only in thanks for the apology, but for the reason that he knew she had just broken a rule between them. He met her eyes, watching her realize her slip as well, and smirked as she blushed deeper red. Her lips parted to speak, but he cut her off before she could speak.

"Ah, you know what happens when you call me 'kid'...?"

"But-"

"No buts. You get your punishment..." Now Kukai was also blushing, but he managed to keep the small smile on his lips.

With their companions onlooking, Kukai leaned in swiftly, stealing up the girl's lips in a kiss, and silenced her complaints. Part of him knew that this was too much for the Japanese public to see, but another part of him wanted to prove to the girl, to Ikuto, and to himself, that she was his and his alone. He couldn't let his girl get away from him... Especially not to the brother that she had said she would stop chasing after. He had to make sure she would keep her promise. He was competitive, after all, and losing in a game of love would not be acceptable.

Ikuto watched as the younger boy pressed his lips to Utau's, and something within him stirred. He could feel his chest tighten at the sight, a frown tempting to pull at his lips, and he had to fight to remind himself that this was something he should be ready to see. Utau was at that age, and as her older brother he could only protect her from so much. She would have to be the one to learn about relationships and her feelings toward them on her own... She was a young woman now, after all. But still, the tightness in his chest remained.

Perhaps it was a product of jealousy as well. Jealousy that he could not do the same with the girl that he loved with all his heart- at least, he could not do it just yet. Kukai and Utau had each other, and as much as it irritated the teen to say, they had the support of those around them. He would support their relationship so long as Utau was happy and they were safe... But, with Amu and he, were they to get into a relationship now, society would ridicule them- or him, rather- for the supposed perverseness of the situation. Like their years in difference somehow made it a sin for him to love her. Not to mention, all the complications of their differed needs to deal with. At least they had her parents support...

And, it was not as if he had claimed her as his yet. He still had to ask her to be with him.

He still had to wait.

He still needed to know that she would love him back.

Starlit eyes refocused on the scene in front of him, noting that his sister's kiss had ended, but the two kids remained with their foreheads together. Another prong of mild irritation- or jealousy- pricked at his heart, and he averted his eyes from them, clearing his throat. Ikuto frowned, choosing to stare over at the windows instead.

The two pulled away from each other, turning to look back to their company, and blushing to realize that they were in fact still before an audience. Utau steeled her expression, trying to force the blush from her cheeks as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned to look at her manager who had appeared sometime during her and Kukai's kiss.

The red haired woman, cleared her throat pointedly as Ikuto had, straightening the glasses on her nose. She looked up to the caramel colored head of wavy locks of the man behind both Ikuto and Amu, her eyes piercing straight into his own and the man smiled nervously at her. He'd messed up, and they both knew that.

"You were suppose to call me when Ikuto-kun and Amu got here, so that we could have the surprise reveal like I had planned," she chided, and Nikaidou chuckled nervously.

"Yes, I know... But, it appears Ikuto-kun had his own ideas for a reveal," he told her, stepping forward to speak face to face despite wanting to hide from her gaze. "It turned out alright, though, didn't it?"

Yukari sighed, rubbing at her temples, but she eventually nodded in agreement. "Yes, I suppose all is well as long as Utau was surprised."

The two adults continued to converse, but Amu tuned them out after a moment, blinking when she realized that Ikuto was gone from her side suddenly. She had not even heard him step away. Wide golden eyes searched the area, checking over the many people walking to and fro, before eventually she caught the sight of his form standing before the wide windows that looked out over the runways.

His back was turned to everyone, the fallen light of day making his hair seem even more blue in its midnight color, as the sky had changed to glow a deep blue and soft purple where it met the horizon. He looked so peaceful over there, but Amu couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with the teen. Her wide coin like depths turned to her guardians, hushing the chatter they had been sharing with Yoru, Eru and Iru, and she stepped quietly through the crowds to shuffle up beside the silent boy.

Her voice felt weak, but she tried to make it sound soft and caring just in case something was wrong with him. "I-ikuto...?"

The teen's starlit eyes turned to meet hers, and he turned to smile at her faintly, his voice a bit more somber and sober of his usual mirth. He breathed softly,

"Amu."

She blinked at him, watching as he returned his sights to the window, and she followed his sights. She stared out at the tarmac beyond the glass, and spoke carefully again. _Maybe he was upset that Utau and Kukai kissed..._ She blushed. _That was his little sister, after all._

Amu just hoped he wasn't mad at Kukai... Granted, that kiss was really dangerous.

"I-ikuto... Are you alright?" she asked in a quiet voice.

She heard him hum from beside her, and her eyes caught his reflection nodding on the surface of the window. "Why do you ask, Amu...?" the teen questioned after a silent moment.

Amu thought about it for a minute, but finally thought it silly to even wonder why. They were friends, were they not? She could ask if she was worried about him, right? Amu blushed, pushing her nervousness aside for a moment to speak up again.

"I was just worried... That's all."

"About me?" he asked, and she could see the small smirk in the reflection.

She frowned, "D-don't make it anything too serious, Ikuto... I just thought, that maybe, seeing Utau and Kukai kiss like that made you mad...?"

The girl heard the teen make a sound in his chest, and she watched the way his eyes changed in expression in his mirrored image. He scoffed inwardly, but his voice was still ever soft.

"Oh, that.. I'm not mad. She can kiss who she wants, as long as it isn't me."

Amu listened to him, hearing the odd amount of emotion behind what he said, and she blinked up at him curiously. "Then... What is the matter?" she asked shyly.

Finally the teen looked away from the glass, his eyes meeting hers and making her gasp at how intense they were in reality and not just a dulled reflection. He stared at her for a long moment, weighing something in his heart, before he could even think up an answer to her question.

He wanted to tell her what he had thought. He wanted to tell her that it only upset him that he could not do what so many other couples could... That he could not kiss her, like the Souma boy could kiss Utau. He was not free to love her like that yet, and that knowledge was a painful reality of his situation. Ikuto was still older than her, and especially now when he was eighteen and she was only thirteen still. In age, they had not gotten any further apart than they had been before he had left, but in social maturity- or at least, what could be perceived- they could not have appeared more wrong for each other. She was entering her second year of junior high school, and he... He was no longer a student at all. Ikuto sighed.

He wanted to tell her what he had thought, but as always, he would have to keep that truth to himself. She was not ready to hear his full confession yet...

And, Ikuto really did not want to scare her away before they even had the chance to have more time together. She could so easily call her parents and ask them to come pick her back up from the airport right now...

She could so easily request to never see him again. Ikuto swallowed painfully.

Not tonight, he would not do that tonight.

Ikuto in took a deep breath, filling his lungs before releasing it smoothly. Her golden eyes were still wide, glittering in the paling light of the evening, and watching him expectantly. He smiled, finally speaking in response to her question.

"Ah, I'm just upset that we will have separate rooms tonight..." he pouted, his eyes glimmering, "...I will be missing your warm body beside me." Ikuto forced his usual smirk.

Amu blushed pinker than her hair, and she found her brain stuttering at his forwardness once again. She would have to correct her thought from earlier, she realized. Utau may have been physically bold, but Ikuto definitely said some of the most dangerous things she had ever heard. She felt her blush heat, and instinctively she rose her hands to bat against his chest, managing to land a blow on his abdomen and made him pull away to rub at it.

"Ow, that wasn't very cute, Amu..." he complained, furrowing his brows and pouting.

"Beh!" the girl stuck her tongue out at him, turning to march back over to their friends triumphantly.

He smiled, watching her go, and followed soon after when they called over to him. Amu was surely going to make this an interesting trip, he smirked. It would be a test of his physical and emotional strength, at the least, and still he could hardly wait to go. He would be with his strawberry.

His Amu.

* * *

Tadaa! I actually wrote something again :D Let me know what you thought!

Also, message to all the wonderful reviewers. Thank you so much for your continued support, I love you guys, and I hope I can keep you entertained for the rest of this ride. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or leave a review. Till next time!


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